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Snooker

Defending Champion Mark Selby Out of World Snooker Championship

Mark Selby came into this year’s World Snooker Championship as a defending champion, but his bid for another title was short-lived. Selby was knocked out by Yan Bingtao in a memorable match featuring the longest frame in Crucible history. Selby and Yan set the new record in the 22nd frame, which lasted for 85 minutes and 22 seconds, breaking the previous record by five minutes and 51 seconds. Yan eventually won this frame, and came out victorious by the end of their face-off, securing a 13-10 win. Despite losing to him, Selby had nothing but praise for the 22-year-old Chinese player while chatting with BBC Sport post-match. "Yan is just a great all-round player, you have to beat him, he doesn't give anything to you. You have seen that from start to finish and he plays some very clever shots. I have a lot of respect for him. I wish I was as good at his age,” said Selby. After eliminating Selby, Yan is still in the running to win the title, but he’ll have to face the three-time champion Mark Williams in the next round. The 2022 World Snooker Championship is taking place between April 16 and May 2, and Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson, and Judd Trump are some of the major players still in the running for the title.