Mark Selby in the last 64. In the first round of the Masters, Selby played against Mark Willams in a repeat of the 2017 edition. However, it was Williams who prevailed in their encounter 6–5. It was also the second time that Selby lost in a deciding frame at the tournament. Selby retained his China Open title, defeating Barry Hawkins 11–3 in the final. It was the 3rd China Open title he won in 4 years. Selby's two-year reign as World Champion came to an end at the first round of the 2018 World Snooker Championship. Facing Joe Perry, Selby trailed 2–7
2014 World Snooker Championship on to win the final 18–14 and capture his first world title. In all, Selby won 13 of the last 17 frames, and his two highest breaks of the match - 127 and 87 - came consecutively to move from 15–14 to 17–14. The victory made Selby the tenth player to win all three Triple Crown events, and reinstated him as the world number one. This was O'Sullivan's first ever defeat in a World Championship final. O'Sullivan said "I want to congratulate Mark on a fantastic tournament. He's been the best player over 17 days, that was tough he had