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 the final and eventually won 18–14. His second World Championship crown saw him finish at number one in the world rankings for the fifth year in a row. Selby won his first title of the season at the Paul Hunter Classic by beating Tom Ford 4–2. His semi-final with Stuart Bingham at the Shanghai Masters was a meeting between the top two ranked players in the world and Selby won 6–5, having been 5–3 behind. After taking an early 3–1 advantage over Ding Junhui in the final, Selby was ousted 10–6. He was beaten 6–2 by Judd Trump in the