Mark Selby

Mark Anthony Selby, born on June 19, 1983, in Leicester, England, began his journey in cue sports at a young age, starting with pool at eight and snooker at nine. After his father’s death when Selby was 16, he turned professional in 1999, dedicating himself to the sport. He first demonstrated his potential by reaching the semi-finals of the 2002 China Open and then the final of the 2003 Scottish Open, placing him in the world’s top 32. His breakthrough came in 2007 when he reached his first World Championship final.

Selby secured his first major title at the 2008 Masters and his first ranking event at the 2008 Welsh Open. He became World Number One in September 2011 and won the UK Championship for the first time in 2012, completing the second leg of the career Triple Crown. The most successful period of his career began with his victory at the 2014 World Championship, where he became the ninth player to win all three Triple Crown titles. He went on to win two more World Championships in 2016 and 2017, defending his title successfully, a feat achieved by only a few others. His dominant performance during the 2016/17 season saw him win a record-equalling five ranking event titles.

Throughout his career, Selby has amassed 24 ranking titles, placing him eighth on the all-time list, and eight major victories across the Triple Crown events. He held the world number one ranking for over four years consecutively and has compiled more than 900 century breaks, including six maximum breaks. Notably, he made snooker’s 100th recognized 147 break at the 2013 UK Championship and the first-ever maximum break in a World Championship final in 2023. His recent achievements include winning the British Open in 2024 and the Welsh Open in 2025, marking his 24th ranking event title.