Mark Selby ousts Stephen Lee to surge into quarter-final of 2012 Masters: Round 1
World Number One, Mark Selby outplayed his opponent, compatriot Stephen Lee in the first round of the 2012 Masters by the score line of 6-4 at the Alexandra Palace in Stock. The Englishman was impressive at the baize from the beginning but his progress was
halted by Lee after he grabbed a 4-0 lead. Lee sprang back into the game but was not able to make an impact in the end.
The Jester from Leicester has been outstanding on the table during the current season with his noticeable performances in some key events. He did not manage to win some major events except the 2011 Shanghai Masters where he defeated Mark Williams 10-9, but
his consistent performance brought him on top of the World Snooker Rankings.
He also clinched the 2011 Wuxi Classic beating Ali Carter 9-7, along with two PTC events and was also a runner-up in the Championship League Snooker Group 2 event during his season campaign.
His first-round match against Lee seemed a Selby-show at the start when the Leicester potter stormed into a 4-0 lead after winning four straight frames. The 28-year-old smashed some stunning knocks of 66, 57 and 110 to unsettle his opponent in the very beginning
of the match.
Lee was under immense pressure when he was trailing 4-0 but he bounced back into the game in the next session. He smashed pocketed fine clearances of 100, 78 and 94 to move four frames up at 5-4. The tenth frame proved to be the final frame, as Selby potted
a 71-point break to win it by 75-7.
The overall frame scores of the match were 66-24, 72-20 (66), 89-30 (57), 110-2 (110), 25-107 (100), 84-39 (72), 57-78 (57, 78), 8-95 (94), 57-65 (S 52) and 75-7 (71). The 2010 Masters champion is in good shape to claim his third Masters title. He will be
facing former World Snooker Champion and compatriot, Shaun Murphy in the quarter-final encounter.
If Selby manages to triumph over the Magician, he might face Scotland’s Graeme Dott or reigning World Snooker Champion, John Higgins in the semi-final encounter. The Selby-Murphy clash will commence on Friday, January 20, at the Alexandra Palace in Stock.
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