Mark Selby dethrones Judd Trump in Shanghai to continue strong start to new snooker season

Four-time World Champion Selby - who is aiming for his second Shanghai crown this week - continues his strong start to the new 2025/26 professional snooker season.

‘The Jester from Leicester’ won a Wuhan Open qualifying match last month, 5-1, and began his title challenge in the Far East earlier this week with a 6-0 whitewash over Shaun Murphy.

In his latest assignment, Selby led 1-0 and 2-1 early on, but each time Trump responded with a century - efforts of 104 and 108 - to level up.

On resumption after the mid-session interval, Selby got in on the high-scoring act with a break of 137 before a 54 in frame six helped him establish a two-frame cushion for the first time in the match at 4-2 up.

Trump fashioned a 66 on his way to reducing the gap, but a 73 aided Selby to the brink at 5-3 ahead.

With his back to the wall, Trump crafted his third ton of the tie - a 102 - to keep his hopes alive, but Selby kept his opponent pointless in frame 10 as a 76 break put him through to the last four of the £825,000 invitational tournament.

Elimination for Trump continues the theme of no first-time winner of this title successfully defending the accolade in the following year.

On the sport’s biggest stages, Trump has pretty much dominated Selby in recent years when they have met, although this is Selby’s second successive victory against Trump at the Shanghai Masters - he recorded a 6-1 win in the quarter-finals two years ago.

Former world number one Selby enjoyed a rejuvenating season last term by winning ranking event titles at the British Open and Welsh Open, and retaining the Championship League Invitational.

The campaign ended on a sour note when he lost in the opening round at the Crucible for a second year in a row, but a fantastic couple of wins in Shanghai this week means he remains on course for a fourth World Snooker Tour title inside 12 months.

Next up for Selby is Ali Carter in the semi-finals on Friday. The contest is the best-of-19 frames and will be played across two sessions.

Please visit our 2025 Shanghai Masters tournament information page here for the draw, results, format, match schedule, how to watch details and prize money payouts.