diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/common/selectorParser.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/common/selectorParser.ts
index 9ded595647..7e3de28b4f 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/common/selectorParser.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/common/selectorParser.ts
@@ -173,6 +173,13 @@ function parseSelectorString(selector: string): ParsedSelectorStrings {
     return result;
   }
 
+  const shouldIgnoreTextSelectorQuote = () => {
+    const prefix = selector.substring(start, index);
+    const match = prefix.match(/^\s*text\s*=(.*)$/);
+    // Must be a text selector with some text before the quote.
+    return !!match && !!match[1];
+  };
+
   while (index < selector.length) {
     const c = selector[index];
     if (c === '\\' && index + 1 < selector.length) {
@@ -180,7 +187,7 @@ function parseSelectorString(selector: string): ParsedSelectorStrings {
     } else if (c === quote) {
       quote = undefined;
       index++;
-    } else if (!quote && (c === '"' || c === '\'' || c === '`')) {
+    } else if (!quote && (c === '"' || c === '\'' || c === '`') && !shouldIgnoreTextSelectorQuote()) {
       quote = c;
       index++;
     } else if (!quote && c === '>' && selector[index + 1] === '>') {
diff --git a/tests/page/selectors-text.spec.ts b/tests/page/selectors-text.spec.ts
index f837b7b1ef..5975e5cdc2 100644
--- a/tests/page/selectors-text.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/page/selectors-text.spec.ts
@@ -303,6 +303,7 @@ it('should be case sensitive if quotes are specified', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.setContent(`<div>yo</div><div>ya</div><div>\nye  </div>`);
   expect(await page.$eval(`text=yA`, e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<div>ya</div>');
   expect(await page.$(`text="yA"`)).toBe(null);
+  expect(await page.$(`text= "ya"`)).toBe(null);
 });
 
 it('should search for a substring without quotes', async ({ page }) => {
@@ -411,3 +412,30 @@ it('should work with leading and trailing spaces', async ({ page }) => {
   await expect(page.locator('text=Add widget')).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.locator('text= Add widget ')).toBeVisible();
 });
+
+it('should work with unpaired quotes when not at the start', async ({ page }) => {
+  it.info().annotations.push({ type: 'issue', description: 'https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/12719' });
+  await page.setContent(`
+    <div>hello"world<span>yay</span></div>
+    <div>hello'world<span>nay</span></div>
+    <div>hello\`world<span>oh</span></div>
+    <div>hello\`world<span>oh2</span></div>
+  `);
+  expect(await page.$eval('text=lo" >> span', e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>yay</span>');
+  expect(await page.$eval('  text=lo" >> span', e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>yay</span>');
+  expect(await page.$eval('text  =lo" >> span', e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>yay</span>');
+  expect(await page.$eval('text=  lo" >> span', e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>yay</span>');
+  expect(await page.$eval(' text = lo" >> span', e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>yay</span>');
+  expect(await page.$eval('text=o"wor >> span', e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>yay</span>');
+
+  expect(await page.$eval(`text=lo'wor >> span`, e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>nay</span>');
+  expect(await page.$eval(`text=o' >> span`, e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>nay</span>');
+
+  expect(await page.$eval(`text=ello\`wor >> span`, e => e.outerHTML)).toBe('<span>oh</span>');
+  await expect(page.locator(`text=ello\`wor`).locator('span').first()).toHaveText('oh');
+  await expect(page.locator(`text=ello\`wor`).locator('span').nth(1)).toHaveText('oh2');
+
+  expect(await page.$(`text='wor >> span`)).toBe(null);
+  expect(await page.$(`text=" >> span`)).toBe(null);
+  expect(await page.$(`text=\` >> span`)).toBe(null);
+});