‘It’s brain-dead’

The Jester registered five 50-plus breaks, including a century in the second frame, as he eased to an impressive win.

Selby was 3-0 up when a noise from the crowd put him off as he was playing a shot.

Explaining what happened, Selby, who faces Mark Allen in the quarter-finals, said: “I’m on my way through, it’s not as if I’m on my back swing. Somebody’s just dropped like cutlery on a plate, as loud as you want!

“It’s great having to have that Century Club there. I think it’s amazing. I was up there the day before. But how can they not soundproof it? It’s brain-dead. I don’t understand!

“People are paying a lot of money to go up there and it’s great that people can go. If they’re paying a lot of money, you want them to have a good time, have a drink and stuff, which is fine.

“But you shouldn’t be able to hear the noise, no matter how much noise they make. It’s quite close to the table. The referee said he could hear quite a lot of chatting.

“I was so frustrated, because I’m playing that. I knew it was a big frame, and I’m thinking if I pot that, the way I was playing, I fancy winning the frame, and 4-0 or 3-1 is massive. I was lucky, I got away with it.

“This game, it can switch on one ball. If I’d have missed that and stuck it up, and Rob goes 3-1, who’s to say, he comes out after the interval, I miss a few, it could be the turning point in the match. Key things like that are big.”

After a number of disappointing early exits so far this season, this was the perfect start to 2024 for the three-time champion, who was delighted with his display.

“I felt like, other than one or two balls, I more or less played faultlessly,” he said.

“I felt my safety was good. The thin edges when I needed to get them were good. I felt calm out there. I’m happy with the way I played, for sure.

“I was frustrated in the first frame, because I felt really good and I thought I was going to win it in one visit, and then I missed a black high.

“Rob had a good chance to capitalise and you never settle until you win that first frame. Fortunately for me he missed and I managed to win it in two visits.”

‘He’s furious’ – ‘Enraged’ Selby swings cue after crowd noise puts him off shot

It’s been a below-par season for Selby so far, who reached the final of the British Open, but has also suffered first round exits at the English Open and Wuhan Open.

He also got to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship just before Christmas, only to run into an in-form Judd Trump.

The prolonged spell without a title has led the 40-year old to question whether he needs to tinker with his game, but he’s resisting the temptation for now.

“I’m just confident in what I’m doing. Whether you’re potting the long balls or not, I’m actually fancying them when I’m going for them, which is massive.

“There’s nothing worse than looking at a shot and thinking ‘I need to be going for this, but I don’t fancy it at all.’

“Even in the UK Championship, I felt I played really well in the first two games against Mark Joyce and Barry Hawkins.

“I just got off to a slow start against Judd Trump, and against players of that quality, you can’t afford to do that. I was up against it.

“My head’s fighting myself, obviously saying ‘tweak something!’ But, years ago, I had about a three or four year period where I was just playing, and if I lost, I would go back and work harder on the practice table.

“That’s the only way you’re going to get confidence and belief in your technique. If you keep switching it around all the while, obviously you’re just stop-starting, which is no good as we all know.”

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