Watch as Mark Selby smacks table with cue against Wu Yize at World Snooker Championship - 'A sign of absolute fury'

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Mark Selby is not one for showing emotion during matches, so it came as a shock when he crashed his cue against the table during his clash with Wu Yize at the World Championship.

Selby smacks table after miss - 'Cue made a sickening noise'

Video credit: TNT Sports

Selby was trailing Wu 11-9 in their second-round meeting at the Crucible, but looking to counter in the 21st frame.

He was faced with a tough red along the bottom cushion, but did not get close to the pot.

With a look of frustration on his face, prior to walking away from the table Selby crashed his cue into the side cushion.

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It was by no means a glancing blow, and could have resulted in serious damage to his equipment.

”Wow,” Neal Foulds said on commentary for TNT Sports. ”That is a sign of absolute fury.

”The cue made a sickening noise, almost as if he’d smashed it.”

As the camera panned to Selby in his chair, Foulds added: ”Mark Selby is absolutely incandescent with rage.”

Phil Yates was alongside Foulds in the commentary box and felt damage had been done to the piece of wood.

”That was definitely the sound of a damaged cue,” Yates said.

Selby smacks table after miss - 'Cue made a sickening noise'

Video credit: TNT Sports

To Selby’s immense credit, he bounced back to win frame 22 and followed up again in the 23rd.

During the 23rd frame, there was almost a repeated incident as Selby missed a tough plant. Instead of wood hitting wood, he curbed his anger and elected to slap the table with his hand.

The slap of the table prompted a replay of the earlier incident, and led to Foulds saying it was something he had never witnessed before.

”I don’t know how that cue is still in one piece, I have got to be honest, I really don’t,” Foulds said. ”I have never seen anything like that before, not even in a snooker club.”

With a Selby comeback gathering pace, Wu came under extreme pressure and he began to miss pots. But he regathered himself and got over the line in the 24th frame.

It felt somewhat appropriate that the telling moment in the 24th frame came when Selby missed a ball along the bottom rail.

Wu’s win set him on course for a meeting with Judd Trump or Hossein Vafaei, who will complete their match on Monday night - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Higgins beats O’Sullivan in epic

There was drama aplenty in Sheffield on Monday, as John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan served up a Crucible epic.

The quality ebbed and flowed, but the drama never dipped as O’Sullivan and Higgins went to the wire.

'What a contest between two all-time legends' - Higgins celebrates epic win over O'Sullivan

Video credit: TNT Sports

Both had chances to win the match in the decider, and it was Higgins who got over the line with a 13-12 victory.

Higgins trailed 9-4 at one stage, but made relentless progress to see off his fellow Class of 92 member and keep his hopes of a fifth World Championship alive.

Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the World Championship, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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