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Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby SnookerFan

News has filtered through today that Mark Selby has withdrawn from the upcoming two ranking events due to personal reasons.


The world no.1 was expected to feature prominently at the Players Championship next week in Manchester before flying to Beijing to defend his China Open crown.

However, the 32 year-old from Leicester will now not be on our screens until the World Championship in Sheffield next month.

In the China Open, Darryl Hill will be given a bye into the last 64.

Matthew Selt, as the highest next placed cueman on the European Order of Merit, will replace Selby and is set to take on Andrew Higginson in the opening round of the Players Championship.


http://snookerhq.com/2016/03/18/selby-w ... hina-open/

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby Cheshire Cat

I can already see the internet muppets giving him a bash for not defending his China Open title, like they did ROS for not defending his CoC or UK titles earlier in the season.

Fair play to Mark for putting off-the-table issues first. Hopefully he returns in a better frame of mind to give the Crucible a good run this year.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby pasunegirafe

This is disconcerting news. This season hasn't been great for him. Last year he lost his father-in-law and now he's withdrawing from two events for personal reasons. It makes me wonder what those reasons could be, but that's his personal business. I just hope everything will be okay in the end.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby GJ

I know Mark is quite pale normally but he hasn't looked to well recently imo

Hope its not serious

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby PoolBoy

Agree with the sentiments above, hope it's nothing too serious.
Matt Selt, as his replacement, has absolutely nothing to lose here - and it wouldn't surprise me to see him make the quarter-finals.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby Wildey

If Selby misses tournaments after Qualifying you know its quite serious unfortunately.


its definitely not a bit of a cold.

but it could be something wrong with another member of his family not necessarily himself.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby Andre147

It must be a serious thing then, like WIld says, he wouldn't have played the qualifiers and then qualified if he had no intension of playing in both tournaments.

Whether it's a health issue or not, hope he can get it sorted.

Both him and Ronnie will play their next (and last) tournament this season at the Worlds then.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby Wildey

Andre147 wrote:It must be a serious thing then, like WIld says, he wouldn't have played the qualifiers and then qualified if he had no intension of playing in both tournaments.

Whether it's a health issue or not, hope he can get it sorted.

Both him and Ronnie will play their next (and last) tournament this season at the Worlds then.

at the moment id say Selby playing in Sheffield not a certainty.


it depends on the problem he has that meant he pulled out of 2 events.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby eraserhead

Pulling out of 2 rankers :sad: , hope nothing really bad has happened and he gets through whatever it is.

It would be a shame if he couldn't play in Sheffield but some things are more important, only hope is he doesn't force himself to play before he's ready to come back.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby Wildey

PoolBoy wrote:At present, we'll assume he'll be at the Crucible. However, if he doesn't enter, then it could be a reprieve for the player who'll finish 17th in the seedings...perhaps Maguire or Ding!

if he withdraws after the draw being made there will be a W/O in the crucible draw for the first time.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby PoolBoy

Wildey wrote:
PoolBoy wrote:At present, we'll assume he'll be at the Crucible. However, if he doesn't enter, then it could be a reprieve for the player who'll finish 17th in the seedings...perhaps Maguire or Ding!

if he withdraws after the draw being made there will be a W/O in the crucible draw for the first time.

Cheers, Widey, for that clarification.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby SnookerFan

sas6789 wrote:Sad to hear this. Hopefully this is nothing too serious and he's ok for the WC but I've just noticed he hasn't tweeted for a while which is strange because he usually a regular tweeter.


Didn't he make some cryptic tweet a few months back, something that suggested he was having personal troubles? Can't remember exactly what now.

Best of luck to him. :hatoff:

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby PoolBoy

Yeah, I remember that, too. It was something along the lines of 'some things in life putting snooker in perspective'.
Hope he's okay for Sheffield. It would be strange not having Selby at the Crucible.

Re: Mark Selby withdraws from Manchester and China

Postby Andre147

PoolBoy wrote:Yeah, I remember that, too. It was something along the lines of 'some things in life putting snooker in perspective'.
Hope he's okay for Sheffield. It would be strange not having Selby at the Crucible.


Yes indeed it would, just like any recent Crucible Champion not being there, it's always a strange feeling.

I too hope he can sort his problems out.