World Snooker Championship: Mark Selby Sensationally Knocked Out by Ben Woollaston
In a stunning upset, four-time world champion Mark Selby was knocked out of the World Snooker Championship 10-8 by his friend Ben Woollaston on Thursday night. The loss marks a significant shock to the tournament, with Selby being the second favourite to win the competition.
According to The Guardian, Selby’s defeat follows in the footsteps of defending champion Kyren Wilson and 2010 winner Neil Robertson, who were also eliminated in the first round. This marks the second successive year that Selby has been beaten in the first round by a player from his hometown of Leicester, after his 10-6 loss to Joe O’Connor last year. As The Guardian reports, Woollaston, 37, is competing at the Crucible for the first time since 2013 and is the world No 44.
In a post-match interview with The Guardian, Selby expressed his disappointment, saying: "I didn’t deserve to win. Ben played some great stuff, his safety was unbelievable at times but I still had my chances. It was pathetic really from me, to play like that is disappointing." Selby also praised Woollaston, adding: "I love Ben to bits, I’ve known him for years. I grew up with him and have seen him progressing."
The match was marked by a notable incident in the 13th frame, when Selby slammed the yellow ball across the table before storming out of the arena. Needing snookers, he had erred in leaving the yellow over the pocket. As The Guardian notes, Woollaston remained calm and composed throughout the match, maintaining his 5-4 overnight advantage to lead 7-6 at the mid-session interval.
Woollaston has struggled with his health in recent years, suffering from blackouts during matches and enduring basic tasks such as standing or staying awake for any length of time. Although not officially diagnosed, Woollaston believes these health issues began after a Covid vaccination nearly four years ago. In an interview with Leicestershire Live, Woollaston revealed: "I passed out after having it. I couldn’t stand for about six months. I’d never passed out in my life but I had that same feeling for about six months. Standing in the garden, standing in the shower, I felt like I was going to pass out."
In other matches, The Guardian reports that Luca Brecel completed an impressive comeback to beat Ryan Day 10-7 and avoid becoming the latest former champion to exit. The 2023 winner was 5-1 down to Day during the first session but managed to turn the match around, winning the final three frames on Wednesday to make it 5-4. As The Guardian quotes Brecel, "It’s good to win, I was expecting to win, to be honest. Last night, when I got back to 5-4 from 5-1 down, I played some good stuff."
Thursday afternoon marked the start of the second-round matches, with Mark Allen in early trouble against Chris Wakelin. After falling 2-0 behind, Allen steadied things with a break of 100 but a missed red allowed Wakelin to clear up and take a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval. Meanwhile, four-time world champion John Higgins is locked at 4-4 with China’s Xiao Guodong after a nip-and-tuck start to their last-16 encounter.
The World Snooker Championship continues to provide shocks and surprises, with several high-profile players exiting the competition. As The Guardian notes, the tournament has seen a number of upsets, with Ben Woollaston’s victory over Mark Selby being the latest surprise. The competition will continue to unfold, with fans eagerly anticipating the next round of matches.
For more information on the World Snooker Championship, readers can visit The Guardian’s dedicated coverage page: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/apr/24/world-snooker-championship-luca-brecel-mark-allen-mark-selby-john-higgins.
