Mark Selby had another excellent snooker season last time around, winning two tournaments and reaching the final of the World Championship. Can “The Jester from Leicester” win another world crown this year?
Selby Gunning for a Fifth World Title
In the modern era of snooker, not many players have won more World Championship titles than Selby. The four-time world champion reached the final last year and is looking to go one better in 2024. Selby is the early 5/1 favourite in the snooker odds to get his hands on snooker’s biggest prize in Sheffield next May.
The competition at the Crucible Theatre will be fierce. The likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Neil Robertson will once again be in the mix. Also, the brilliant Luca Brecel will be desperate to keep hold of his crown.
Big Season Coming Up for Selby
After another good year, big things are expected of Selby this season. The Leicester-born ace will want to build on an impressive 2022-23 campaign, and there are several exciting tournaments on the horizon.
The 2023-24 season kicks off with the Championship League before Germany hosts the European Masters in late August. The UK Championship will be held in York at the end of 2023, while the Masters kicks off 2024. The World Championship, which is snooker’s pinnacle event, will take place in Sheffield between April and May next year.
Selby finished runner-up in the World Mixed Doubles in September last year and picked up his first tournament victory of the season at the English Open just a couple of months later.
Selby then won the inaugural staging of the WST Classic, which took place in his home city of Leicester. It was a special win for Selby, as he beat the likes of Robbie Williams, John Higgins, and Ali Carter along the way.
Selby saves his best snooker for Sheffield, and the veteran had another terrific Crucible tournament last year. Selby is a four-time world champion, and he very nearly secured a fifth title in 2023.
Selby, who recently turned 40, went all the way to the final in South Yorkshire. In the early rounds, he beat Matthew Selt, Gary Wilson and Higgins. Selby then got the better of the in-form Mark Allen in the semi-finals, beating the man from Northern Ireland 17-15 in a thrilling match.
Selby went up against Brecel in the final, and the pair put on a real show for the Sheffield crowd. The Belgian held his nerve to secure an 18-15 win and get his hands on a first world title, but Selby more than played his part in the showpiece Crucible final.
Selby was so close to making it five world titles last term, and he could be the man to beat in this year’s edition. His maiden World Championship trophy was won in 2014, and he has added three more to his trophy cabinet since (2016, 2017 and 2021). The 40-year-old will want a strong season under his belt before heading to Sheffield for the 2024 World Championship in April.
