China Open final: 'This is ridiculous' - Controversial call in Mark Selby v Noppon Saengkham leaves pundits baffled
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By Ben Grounds
Published 16/08/2026 at 11:32 GMT+1
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The China Open final was unfolding according to plan for Noppon Saengkham until a controversial moment at a pivotal stage of the seventh frame swung the momentum firmly in Mark Selby's favour. For those in attendance at the Riverside Sports Centre in Taiyuan, one question lingered.
Ref and 'shocked' Noppon argue 'controversial' foul before final black DRAMA
Video credit: TNT Sports
Seeking a first ranking title, world No. 45 Saengkham was leading 4-2 in the final - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max - and appeared poised to establish a three-frame advantage over an out-of-sorts Selby.
But a costly foul while attempting to play the blue put his hopes of claiming the ÂŁ250,000 top prize under serious threat.
Selby, who reached his first ranking final in China for eight years after beating Stuart Bingham 6-2 on Saturday, watched as his opponent's attempt to play a thin-cut safety inadvertently presented him with a way back into the contest.
The referee called a foul, prompting Saengkham to immediately appeal the decision.
"Well, he thinks he hit it," TNT Sports commentator Neal Foulds said. "If I'm Mark, if he [Saengkham] is saying he hit it, then he hit it. I feel it clearly moves."
Alan McManus was in agreement, saying: "I thought the blue moved, I must confess. I think it wavered. They'll have a good look at it on the replays, but I think it just about touches the blue."
However, after further inspection of the overhead replay, the referee's decision was upheld, to the astonishment of both players and those in the commentary booth.
Foulds reacted: "Are you kidding? This is ridiculous. I'm sure it wavered.
"I remember playing our colleague Joe Johnson once in a match at the UK Championship, and I hit it very slightly. The referee called a miss, but Joe said, 'if he said he hit it, then he hit it' - and that was it. We could've gone down that route."
World No. 9 Selby, who is bidding to become the first player to win the China Open on four occasions, even remonstrated with the official, saying: "He said he hit the blue. Can I see it again?"
Both players were ushered over to a small camera, where replays continued to prove inconclusive.
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McManus continued: "In real time I thought he hit it, and this is good from Mark [asking to review the incident himself]. He wants to know exactly what happened.
"He won't know whether Noppon hit it or not. For me, it looks like it just moves. Noppon was right behind it, playing the shot. He was completely convinced that the blue moved - as was I.
"What I will say in the referee's defence is that they have to give a decision based on what they see. If there's any doubt, they give an honest assessment and decision."
The drama did not end there. When play resumed, Noppon attempted the same shot again - and fouled again.
The Thai, who knocked out Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Shaun Murphy and home favourite Zhou Yuelong to book his place in the final, recovered to give himself the opportunity to extend his lead after eventually sinking the blue, but a glaring miss on the black allowed Englishman Selby to close the gap to 4-3.
The 70-68 scoreline in the seventh frame underlined just how significant the decision had proved.
Had the penalty points not been awarded, Noppon would not have needed to pot the black to move 5-2 ahead.
And so the question remains... did the blue move?
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