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
Mark Selby Order of Merit and therefore qualified to the last 16 of the Finals. He beat Ding Junhui in the Finals in Galway before losing 0–4 to eventual winner Stephen Lee in the quarter-finals. Selby reached the quarter-finals of the German Masters and then got to the final of the Welsh Open, where he lost 6–9 to Ding. Another semi-final followed in the World Open and despite seeing a 5–2 lead slip to a 5–6 defeat against Mark Allen, he looked to be in form at just the right time in the season. However, Selby was forced to withdraw from the