Selby excited about getting back in shape
With two titles to his credit this season and two big tournaments to go, Mark Selby is looking to capitalize on the rich form he found at the WST Classic.
The Leicester Cumen delighted their home fans on the final day on Wednesday by knocking out John Higgins and Ali Carter before spending three centuries in the final, beating Pang Junxiu 6-2.
The 39-year-old is now heading to Hull for the Duelbits Tour Championship, where eight of the season’s best players will battle it out for the top prize of £150,000. Selby also has an incentive to try to reclaim world number one – he will overtake Ronnie O’Sullivan in that position if he reaches the final next week, unless Mark Allen wins the title.
“It’s great to win another ranking title this season and rank 22 to be a little closer to Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Mark Williams on the all-time list,” Selby told Hector Nunns in an interview. Mirror. “I trained more and more, and this work paid dividends. My game just felt good and everything clicked in this event. It’s certainly not a bad time to get in shape with the Tour Championship next week and then the World Championship next month.
“I always want to play well at Leicester and put on a show at home. I didn’t always do that, so it was great to lift a trophy with really good mileage. I knew I could secure a place in the Tour Championship by going deeper and my goal was to make sure I qualified for that. So actually winning the title is great.”
Ahead of the Crucible, where Selby reigned in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021, he added: “Of course, it’s not impossible that I can win seven world titles. Of course, it is incredibly difficult, and winning four already is beyond my wildest dreams.
“But now I’m there, it would be great to win the Crucible again. And as long as I’m still playing, I’ll do my best to make it happen. Obviously last time I didn’t have the best season, what I thought meant I didn’t win as much money as usual and my rating suffered.
“So this season I was under pressure with the money going out and I needed to solidify my place in the top 16. I still have goals. I would like to win more world titles, more triple crowns, and also return to the world number one – and I have a chance to do it now.
Selby will face Ryan Day in his first match in Hull on Thursday. For full details of the draw and format click here, and to book tickets for as little as £22 click here.
