2018 World Snooker Championship The win came 15 years after Williams' second world title in 2003 and he became, at the age of 43, the second oldest winner at the Crucible. Three-time world champion Mark Selby had won the title for the previous two years but lost in the first round 4–10 to Joe Perry. The 2018 World Snooker Championship was held on 21 April to 7 May 2018 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. This was the 42nd consecutive year that the tournament was held at the Crucible, and the 50th consecutive year the championship was contested through the modern knockout format.
Mark Selby 3–5 first round defeat to Jamie Burnett in the Australian Goldfields Open. Selby lost his world number one spot to Judd Trump after the latter's victory in the inaugural International Championship in China. However, just five weeks later, Selby won his third ranking title and largest of his career, the UK Championship, to regain the top spot. He defeated Michael White 6–3, Ryan Day 6–4 from 3–0 down, and Neil Robertson 6–4 from 4–0 down to reach the semi-finals, where he beat Mark Davis 9–4 to progress to the final. Already assured of overtaking Trump regardless of the result, Selby