Saudi Arabia Masters 2024: Fuming Matthew Selt quits mid-match after missing black with patched-up cue
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Published 05/09/2024 at 15:38 GMT+1
Matthew Selt surrendered defeat - and his chance to walk away with half a million pounds - after he was left frustrated by missing a black in his fourth-round match at the Saudi Arabia Masters. The Englishman conceded while trailing 4-3 against China's Pang Junxu, ending an eventful week in which he required a local carpenter to glue his cue back together after it was broken in transit.
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Matthew Selt’s eventful time at the Saudi Arabia Masters came to a surprising end when he walked out of his fourth-round match against China’s Pang Junxu after missing a black.
The world No. 33 trailed 4-3 in Riyadh and was 10-1 down in the eighth frame when he went for an awkward but relatively straightforward black, close to a cluster of reds.
When the ball rattled the jaws and failed to drop, Selt gesticulated in frustration before swiping away a red ball with his hand.
He then shook hands with his opponent and the referee as he conceded defeat early in the first-to-five-frames battle before leaving the arena.
Selt’s withdrawal meant he walked away from the chance to land the lucrative £500,000 prize that goes to the winner in Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural event in Riyadh has more than £2.3 million worth of prize money on offer, and Selt’s fourth-round exit still earned him £11,000.
It has been a difficult week for Selt, as his cue was damaged on his flight over, and he required a local carpenter to glue it back together so that he could compete.
“It snapped in two," Selt said before the tournament.
"I had some cues sent from back home and one from Thailand but I found a local carpenter here who has filed some of the wood away and used some extremely strong adhesive to put it back together, so I'm going to use it.”
Selt posted a picture of the carpenter at work on his Instagram page with the caption: “Interesting day here in Riyadh watching one of the local carpenters gluing my cue back together. What a superstar! I pray he’s worked some serious magic.”
He later posted a video of the repair job after beating Allan Taylor 4-3 to reach the fourth round.
On Wednesday, the 39-year-old posted a photo from his return flight saying “home time” and hoping there is “better care taken of my luggage.”
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Watch and stream the Saudi Arabia Masters live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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