Champion of Champions snooker – Day 1: Mark Selby advances to the quarter-finals

Each year, there’s a tournament that pits the best snooker players against the best. Winners of tournaments throughout the year, and the top-ranked players if need be, assemble to compete in the Champion of Champions. Last year, Judd Trump won for the first time – he’s among one of the 16 players aiming to win the 2022 title. Here’s what happened on day one, as one group of four was whittled down to one.

The first match pitted Mark Selby against Lee Walker. Walker reached the tournament through a World Seniors Championship victory, while Selby qualified through world rankings – but, despite not having won a tournament to appear at the Champion of Champions, Selby was firm favourite. Both players had good chances in a tense opening frame, which ultimately went the way of Selby after Walker went in off the yellow. Selby took the first opportunity to make an 82 and move 2-0 in front. A scrappy third frame went to Selby, and after Walker missed his chances in the fourth, a dominant break completed the whitewash, Selby advancing 4-0. Walker, meanwhile, marked the end of his professional career with his defeat

After that clash, John Higgins faced Hossein Vafaei – the former won the Championship League this year, the latter the victor in the ever-controversial Snooker Shoot Out. Like the earlier match, both players had their chances in frame one. A misplaced attack by Vafaei gave the first to Higgins – the four-time world champion misjudged a cannon, then Vafaei responded with an 84 to seize the frame. Frame two was a battle, but Higgins eventually equalised after nearly half an hour. Both players struggled to get going in frame three, but Higgins eventually found the momentum to build a 70 and lead 2-1.

Selby didn’t miss a beat, responding with an 81 to win the frame and the match 6-4

Frame four, and Higgins made a 48 before being unlucky in a pack opening. Vafaei failed to capitalise, and safety exchanges occurred as the number of balls on the table decreased – eventually Higgins did enough to develop a 3-1 lead, moving within one of victory. It was first chance Higgins, but he missed a blue, and Vafaei responded with a good 72. The Iranian player had only a single shot in the final frame – the break-off – and Higgins replied with an excellent 118 to secure the match.

So that led to a Selby vs Higgins match to top the group and advance in the Champion of Champions. Selby contributed two four-point fouls to Higgins after a tricky shot, but that didn’t stop him going on to win the first frame with an excellent 140. There was a scare for Higgins in frame two as Selby chipped away at his 65-point lead, but he eventually won a safety battle to level the match. Selby took advantage in frame three to make 41, before missing an easy pot to middle and leaving Higgins a chance to steal – he made 53 before laying a tough snooker. It all came down to a safety battle on the final red, which Higgins ultimately won to move 2-1 in front. Selby established a lead of his own in frame four, and after another safety fight, he levelled.

After the interval, Selby made a good break, and Higgins fought valiantly on the final red before his opponent potted it and took the frame. It was decisive as Higgins levelled again, making a 141. A scrappy frame went the way of Selby, before a 64-point lead in frame eight would be enough for Higgins to level at 4-4. It was then effectively a best-of-three to win, and first chance Higgins – he missed a tough red after running slightly out of position, and Selby made a 105 to win the frame. In frame ten, Higgins made 45 before an unlucky split ended his break – Selby didn’t miss a beat, responding with an 81 to win the frame and the match 6-4.