Snooker's Greatest Rivalries - Ronnie O'Sullivan v Mark Selby

Their contrasting styles create a fascinating dynamic that has captivated audiences for over two decades, culminating in some of the most memorable moments in the sport’s rich history.

‘The Rocket’ is widely regarded as the greatest player to ever lift a cue. His outstanding break-building ability and unmatched talent have earned him a record 23 Triple Crown titles and widespread admiration in the world of sport.

However, his fluent attacking play often comes unstuck against Selby’s shrewd, methodical approach, who has learned to exploit O’Sullivan’s lack of patience during protracted safety exchanges.

‘The Jester from Leicester’ embodies resilience and calmness under pressure, with a game built of tactical astuteness and strong potting ability. His ability to grind down opponents and adapt his game accordingly has made him one of the sport’s toughest competitors.

The pair have played out several great encounters in major tournaments over the last twenty years, but who has the edge?

Early days - Selby’s arrival halts O’Sullivan dominance

In the mid 2000s, O’Sullivan was showing signs of becoming the dominant force in snooker, much like Reardon, Davis and Hendry had achieved in the 70s, 80s and 90s respectively.

O’Sullivan won the World Championship in 2001 and 2004 and reached the world number one spot, with the proposition of continued supremacy hanging ominously over the rest of the tour.

Meanwhile, Selby was busy progressing through the ranks, breaking into the world’s top 32 in 2003 at only the age of 19.

Selby’s ascent accelerated in 2007, reaching the final of the World Championship where he lost to John Higgins 18-13. In the process, Selby announced himself as one of the top prospects in the sport and lifted himself into the top 16 of the world rankings.

Later in the year, Selby continued this upward trajectory to reach the UK Championship semi-final, where Ronnie O’Sullivan awaited him - the first Triple Crown contest between the two.

This inaugural major meeting between the pair did not disappoint, resulting in a final frame decider. O’Sullivan miraculously made a maximum 147 break to win.

O’Sullivan went on to lift the trophy, beating Stephen Maguire 10-2 in the final, but the dramatic semi-final would set the tone for many future contests between the two.

O’Sullivan and Selby share spoils in Welsh and Masters finals

Later in the season the pair faced off again in the 2008 Welsh Open final, culminating once again in a deciding frame. However, this time Selby - who battled back from 8-5 down - got the better of O’Sullivan, showing the first signs of getting into the head of ‘The Rocket’.

During the final, O’Sullivan was seen mentioning to the crowd that he was ‘bored’ on a couple of occasions and even labelled Selby’s style an ‘endurance test’, likening him to Peter Ebdon.

The two dominated the 2007/08 season, winning all three Triple Crowns between them. The subsequent 2009 Masters final was the first Triple Crown final between the two, with O’Sullivan winning 10-8 at the Wembley Arena to lift a fourth Masters title.

The following year they faced each other again in the 2010 Masters final. This time, Selby ousted O’Sullivan 10-9 in another final-frame decider.

This victory was Selby’s second Masters title, proving he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with O’Sullivan in his home venue, and the first time he had defeated him at a Triple Crown event.

However, four years later O’Sullivan rounded off a Masters trilogy against Selby with victory in the 2014 final, avenging his previous loss.

Snooker heavyweights clash in classic Crucible encounters

Arguably the most notable contest between the Englishmen came in the 2014 World Championship final at the Crucible Theatre, where O’Sullivan was aiming for his third consecutive world title after exceptional displays at the 2012 and 2013 events.

O’Sullivan - who was on a 14-match winning streak at the hallowed venue - led 10-5 at one stage, however, Selby executed a masterclass in tactical play, wearing down O’Sullivan to ultimately claim an 18-14 victory.

This moment still stands as O’Sullivan’s only loss in a World Championship final, showcasing Selby’s ability to grind down the greatest players in long-format matches.

Two years later, the pair faced off in the 2016 UK Championship final with Selby victorious 10-7 - it was starting to appear that he had a formula for beating O’Sullivan. This victory was bookended by Crucible successes in 2016 and 2017, along with an imperious four-year reign as world number one - Selby had a stranglehold on the sport.

Despite both having several successful campaigns, the two greats would have to wait until the 2020 World Championship before meeting again in a Triple Crown event.

The 2020 Crucible semi-final - eerily held behind-closed-doors with no crowd due to the COVID-19 Pandemic - was a huge opportunity for O’Sullivan, who was desperate to end a seven-year drought from lifting the trophy. However, standing in his way of the final was the man he had never beaten before in Sheffield.

Having lost the opening session, Selby turned proceedings around and led 13-9 at one point, but O’Sullivan responded with four successive frames to level up at 13 all.

In the final session, though, Selby went clear again at 16-14 up - one frame away from victory. However, against the odds, O’Sullivan pulled out an almost flawless final three frames to win 17-16 - marking one of the great victories in his illustrious career. He went on to lift the trophy, beating Kyren Wilson 18-8 in the final.

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Selby head-to-head record

O’Sullivan leads the overall career head-to-head win percentage, with 21 wins out of 35 (60%), however, Selby has the most wins in finals - 6 out of 9 finals played.

In terms of Triple Crown meetings, O’Sullivan has won 6 out of 10 matches played, however, Selby has had the better of him in Triple Crown finals - winning 3 out of 5.

The last match-up between the two (at the time of writing) came in January with Selby ousting the seven-time World Champion 3-2 in the 2025 Championship League Invitational, a match that preluded O’Sullivan’s implosion against Robert Milkins - the last O’Sullivan has played on the World Snooker Tour.

Please visit cuetracker.net for a detailed list of head to head matches between O’Sullivan and Selby here.