SportOther SportsMark SelbyMark Selby slipped to a surprise defeat to Jak Jones in the final of the British Open and the Jester from Leicester used some colourful language in assessing his loss in Cheltenham10:42, 07 Sep 2026Mark Selby has been left relieved that he can now have a break following his British Open final defeat, admitting he feels ‘absolutely f*****’. The Jester from Leicester fell to a surprise defeat to Jak Jones in Cheltenham on Sunday.‌The latter pulled away in the evening session following an entertaining clash to secure a 10-6 win for what was only his second ranking title.‌And while Selby was disappointed to find himself on the losing end, he was more delighted to be briefly away from the snooker table following a spell in the Far East at both the China Open and the Wuhan Open.‌Speaking on TNT Sports, he said: “I’ve had a great start to the season, I can’t complain. I'm just happy I've got a day off tomorrow because I feel absolutely f****d.“I've got nothing left. I’m literally running on empty. I gave it everything I had but it wasn’t good enough.”‌Selby will be back in action on Tuesday as he kicks off his English Open campaign against Ricky Walden. Ahead of that, he made sure to reserve praise for his eventual victor Jones. He added: “I thought he [Jones] played great today, from start to finish. Every time he got a chance it looked like he was going to score.“His safety was great, long game was good. I’ve no complaints, the better player won on the day. It was only a matter of time for me before he won a big major tournament.”Jones certainly had fortune on his side, having enjoyed a good run of the balls for long spells of the final. ”That is how it is sometimes,” Selby said.‌”There will be other times when it happens to my opponent and I will get the run. It is not about me, it is about Jak today. He played brilliant. I thought he was amazing.”Elsewhere, Jones was left stunned by his own success. He said: “I can’t believe it. I think Mark was being kind saying I was the better player because I definitely wasn’t.‌“I thought I dragged him down a little bit - I never thought I’d be able to grind Mark Selby down! I felt really bad all day, I didn’t feel comfortable until the end which was strange.“To play someone like Mark in a final is amazing, I’m usually sat at home watching him on the TV! It’s been difficult for the last few years battling away, especially for my wife, parents and son.”He added: “So this season to start winning things just feels amazing. It’s all worth it I suppose for my parents to have something to cheer! Play tomorrow? No. My wife would kill me I think!”Article continues belowJoin our WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Mark Selby