Mark Selby breaks spell to defend title at World Snooker China Open

BEIJING -- Mark Selby broke the spell to be the first champion who defended his title since World Snooker China Open moved to Beijing, he crushed Barry Hawkins 11-3 to win his 14th ranking titles here on Sunday night.

Though Selby and Hawkins are good friends off the table, he showed no mercy by finishing the afternoon session 8-2 in the best-of-21 final. Selby started the night winning two more frames before Hawkins won the 13th frame, then he finished 2018 China Open with a break of 132.

Selby enjoyed five consecutive frame winnings twice in the final and seven breaks of 50+.

"Yeah, it really wasn't fortunate today." Said Hawkins, "To be honest with you, at 10-2 I was hoping Mark could win the frame to beat me 11-2 because there's no way back for me. I wish he beat me 11-2."

He even tossed the white towel on the table during the 132-point break of Selby, the latter decided to carry on after smiling at it.

"Just...I gave up, that's it, I can see it. But he potted the next ball and clean the table, which is more pain. Yeah, just have a bit of joke. He was so tough to play against." Hawkins said.

"A lot of people saw him throwing the towel when he was 60, or 70 behind in the frame in the break, it was funny, me and Barry are really good friends off the table, so it was quite funny at the time but I still want to clear the table." said Selby, who surpassed Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson with 14 ranking titles.

Selby will be the world No. 1 at the end of the season for seven years in a row, though he refused to admit he is among the snooker legends now.

"This is fantastic really. As far as snooker legend that's not really for me to say, that's for many everybody else when I finish my career."