The world and UK champion Mark Selby gets his quest to hold all three Triple Crown titles at the same time underway on Wednesday afternoon when he takes on Mark Williams in the first round of The Masters at Alexandra Palace.
The two meet over the best of 11 frames in London for the right to face either Shaun Murphy or Barry Hawkins in the quarter final later in the week.
Mark Selby
You can never truly judge Mark Selby’s form but then again you don’t need to because he doesn’t have to be playing his best stuff to win matches and that is what makes him so good and so hard to beat. As it is he’s been in fine form this season and has already landed the Paul Hunter Classic, International Championship and UK Championship titles this season to go with his World Championship success.
Selby’s record in this tournament stands up to most. He has won the title on no fewer than three occasions although it has been four years since he has lifted the Waterford Crystal trophy. He will be out to reclaim the title here especially after the disappointment of going out in the quarter final last year.
Mark Williams
In terms of out and out tournament results it hasn’t been the best of seasons so far for Mark Williams. A semi-final in Riga and a couple of quarter finals are the best he has had to offer for the season so far. That said he has been playing better than his results have suggested and I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a big tournament in him sometime soon.
Williams’ record in this tournament is very good. He has won the title twice but the last of those was back in 2003. The concern for him would be that he has only been past the quarter final once since then although he has reached the last eight on five other occasions so he certainly knows how to come through the first round.
Head to Head
These two have met 25 times throughout their careers including smaller event meetings and Williams holds a narrow 13-12 lead. Their only meeting in this tournament came in the quarter final in 2013 which Mark Selby won 6-1. He also won their last meeting at the Welsh Open last year.
Betting
I have a feeling Mark Williams will play a significant role in this match. Although his tournament results may not suggest it he has been playing well recently and I think he will put up a real challenge here.
Williams may not win but he can certainly make it to four frames before he is beaten. Very rarely is Selby at top speed in the first round of tournaments and if it gets scrappy Williams is able to mix it in that department. He can compete with Selby in the break building too so I like him to make it to four frames if not six.
Tips
WON – Back M.Williams (+2.5 frames) to beat M.Selby for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with William Hill
Back him here:
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