Settled Selby set for Shanghai

Mark Selby believes domestic bliss can steer him towards glory on the baize as the globe-trotting snooker tour stops off in China this week.

The Leicester cueman married his girlfriend Vikki in Mexico in late May, and they will move into a new home once Selby returns from the Shanghai Masters and the upcoming Brazil Masters.

The focus for Selby now is on Shanghai, and he proved his game is in decent shape by winning a Players Tour Championship event in Germany last month.

On the back of that success, Selby climbed above John Higgins to become the world number two, with only Mark Williams now above him.

“Everything is coming together nicely at the moment. Married life is fantastic and, as a result, my snooker is going really well too. I couldn’t be happier,” Selby wrote on his personal website.

“Nothing has really changed that much, but the extra stability is a great feeling, and everything feels so much more special.”

He must wait until tomorrow for his opening match in Shanghai, which will be against either Nigel Bond or Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon.

Selby will be joined in Shanghai by snooker’s elite, including Ronnie O’Sullivan who made a 147 break at the PTC in Germany.

O’Sullivan triumphed in Shanghai two years ago and that remains his last major ranking title. He pulled out of last year’s tournament citing family reasons and is due to play James Wattana or Jin Long in his opening match tomorrow.

Ali Carter begins the defence of his title against Mark King, also tomorrow.