Mark Selby defeated his flatmate for the week Barry Hawkins 6-5 after a thrilling final frame decider in their last 16 clash at the MrQ UK Championship in York.
Selby and Hawkins have become close friends in recent years, but this evening’s encounter was contested fiercely right down to the final balls. Hawkins had a chance in the last frame to clear, but agonisingly snookered himself on the final blue. Eventually it was four-time World Champion Selby who potted a difficult blue bridging over the top of the black and then deposited the pink to get over the line.
Victory earns Selby a mouth-watering quarter-final showdown with player of the season so far Judd Trump, who won three consecutive titles at the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open. However, Selby can take confidence from the fact he won their most recent meeting at the 2023 Shanghai Masters 6-1.
The 22-time ranking event winner will be hoping that he can capture his first silverware of the season, having regularly knocked on the door. Selby has already made semi-finals at the Shanghai Masters and the European Masters and was runner-up at the British Open.
Selby fired in breaks of 142, 101, 76 and 70 on his way to establishing a 5-3 lead this evening. However, Hawkins replied with contributions of 84 and 88 to force a decider, where Selby eventually got over the line after a 58-minute final frame.
“I’m happy to win, but I’m exhausted. It was a tough game and it was always going to be tough. Barry gives you nothing out there. You basically have to play like that to beat him. He is a quality player,” said 40-year-old Selby.
“I just said I was sorry to him at the end. We are sharing an apartment together and the way he was going at the end I was thinking I’d rather he had beaten me 6-2. The way the match went for either of us it was going to be a horrible way to lose.
“Judd is the player of the season by a long stretch. He is definitely the man in form and the man to beat. I am going to be up against it. I’ll have to play somewhere similar to that or the performance against Mark Joyce to stand a chance. I will enjoy the challenge.”
On the other table, Mark Williams reached the 110th ranking event quarter-final of his career, after a 6-4 defeat of fellow Welshman Jamie Clarke.
Williams crafted three century runs of 138, 107 and 100 on his way to this evening’s victory. Next up the world number eight faces a last eight meeting with China’s Ding Junhui.
