Mark Selby It was noted by eventual world champion John Higgins, amongst others, in his victory speech, that Selby was the most improved player on the tour. These performances in the 2006/07 season earned Selby a place in the top 16 for the very first time for the 2007/08 season, where he was ranked 11th. Selby's wins over Lee, Ebdon, Carter and Murphy at the 2007 World Championships also won him the inaugural 888.com Silver Chip award for outstanding performance, awarded by the Snooker Writers' Association at the post-championship ball. After a moderate start to the season, Selby had a strong run
Mark Selby the final and went on to lose the final 4–10, receiving the runner-up prize of £90,000. In the World Open, Selby defeated Alan McManus 5–1 in the quarter-finals and Marco Fu 6–4 in the semi-finals, but lost 6–10 in the final to Shaun Murphy. At the World Championship, Selby beat Michael White 10–9, Ali Carter 13–9, and Alan McManus 13–5 to reach his first semi-final at the Crucible since 2010. He played world number one Neil Robertson in a repeat of the UK Championship final, and this time came out a 17–15 winner in a match described by commentators as