Mark Selby in the first round of the UK Championship, scoring 6 breaks over 40 in those five frames. On 17 January 2010, Selby won his second Masters title after reaching the final for the third time in as many years in a repeat of the previous year's final, where he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan took a commanding lead at 9–6 leaving him just one frame from victory, but Selby played some of his best snooker of the season to overcome the three-frame deficit, taking the championship 10–9 and the £150,000 winner's cheque. At the 2011 China Open, Selby beat Tian
Mark Selby defeat. Despite this he finished the season as the world number one for the fourth year in a row. Selby's first semi-final of the season came at the International Championship courtesy of knocking out Neil Robertson 6–4, but he lost 9–4 to John Higgins. Selby did not drop a frame in reaching the third round of the UK Championship and saw off Jamie Jones 6–5, admitting later that his opponent had deserved to win the match. He then eliminated Dechawat Poomjaeng and Matthew Selt both 6–1, before being whitewashed 6–0 by Robertson in the semi-finals. Selby lost in the quarter-finals