English Open: Mark Selby beats Luca Brecel in final for first ranking title in nearly two years

Selby gave an emotional interview after his victory in Brentwood and said it had been 'tough' since he discussed his struggles with mental health

Four-time world champion Mark Selby overcame Luca Brecel to win the English Open final to secure his first ranking title in nearly two years.

Englishman Selby's last major final victory was the World Championship in 2021 but he defeated Belgian Brecel 9-6 to lift the Steve Davis Trophy.

He also won prize money of £80,000 at the event in Brentwood, Essex.

In January, the 39-year-old spoke about his struggles with mental health and said he needed help.

"This has to probably go down as the biggest achievement for me," Selby told Eurosport.

"From where I was back in January, I've been suffering for a few years, silently. Only [wife] Vikki and the family knew about it.

"It's been tough. From January, trying to get myself back on my feet. It's not been easy. It's probably been the biggest challenge of my life.

"To actually come back out here, playing snooker, and enjoying it again, it's all I ever wanted to do. So to win a tournament, it's incredible, really."

There was a delay in play towards the end of the match, however, after a spectator was removed from the arena for making distracting comments while Selby was at the table.

The crowd shouted "take him out" and then cheered as the fan was escorted away as Selby and Brecel watched on.

Selby, the champion in 2019, was in sharp form in the opening frames of the afternoon session, reaching 90 with his first break with no reply from Brecel.

He soon found himself with a 4-1 lead but a few safety errors allowed 27-year-old Brecel back into the tie and claim the next three frames to end the session on level terms at 4-4.

Selby then took the ninth and tenth frames at the start of the evening session to go 6-4 ahead before Brecel hit the highest break of the day of 122 to pull a frame back.

Brecel struggled with consistency throughout the final and when the opportunity arose to level the match once again, he undercut the last red and was punished by Selby.

Following the supporter's eviction, Selby made a break of 54 to edge closer to victory and although Brecel rescued another frame with a century of 113, Selby closed out the match at the first chance presented to him.