Some observations...
I reckon the best match of the tournament was Hawkins vs O'Sullivan. In terms of standard, that was the final!
Mark Selby showed zero happiness (well, almost zero!) when he won. Didn't show any joy. Felt as if it was a "yeah, so I won, big deal" kinda reaction. Bit muted. But well done to him for becoming a double champion.
Selby proves the best player doesn't always win the WC. He admitted his B game was good enough to pull him through some of the earlier rounds. Selby is one of the best tactical and safety players of all time but even taking into account his fantastic 400 plus century breaks, I don't rate him as the best break builder. During the final he lost control of the ball on quite a few occasions. He looks (at times) pedestrian compared to the likes of O'Sullivan, Robertson, Trump, Bingham, Hawkins when they're on form.
Based on overall form, I feel Ding deserved to win the tournament. Perhaps he ran out of steam in the final but all credit to his performance over the 17 days.
I thought Steve Davis' tribute to his father was the most touching moment of the tournament. Steve was tearful as he talked about his father and how his own contribution to the game had left a permanent impression on snooker fans. Ronnie O'Sullivan and/or Stephen Hendry may be the best player(s) of all time but for sheer gentlemanly class the greatest is Steve Davis. God bless him for his contribution to the game and I'd like to say a personal "
thank you, Steve" for making me a snooker fan. It was Steve's amazing success in the 1980s that first started my love for the game.