World Champion and World No.1 Mark Selby is determined to add the Cazoo Champion of Champions title to his long list of accolades when the tournament gets underway at the Bolton Whites Hotel, University of Bolton Stadium, November 15-21.
The Jester has reached the Cazoo Champion of Champions semi-finals twice before but is yet to reach the final: “For me, it’s one of the biggest tournaments we play in. I see it as the second Masters. Probably not the top 16 in the world but probably the best 16 players on form, at that present tournament. It’s one of my goals to win the Cazoo Champion of Champions. It’s one of the tournaments that are still on my bucket list to win I would say.”
“It’s a one-table format. Every match you go into it feels like a final because all eyes are just on yourself, the opponent, and the ref. There are few tournaments like that. I think that’s what makes it very special.”
Selby was the first player to ever make a 147 at the Cazoo Champion of Champions back in 2018: “It was an amazing feeling. Making one in any tournament but doing it live on TV is extra special. Also, in the Cazoo Champion of Champions, it was the first-ever 147 on ITV, it was a nice sort of record to have.”
“The last 18 months have been tough for everyone in sport having no fans. Every tournament felt sort of like the same apart from the Champion of Champions where ITV did a fantastic job. Emily Frazer and everyone at Matchroom did a fantastic job just to do the setup and make it different from any other tournament we’d played in, so it did feel like a different tournament. It felt like a big tournament even though there was no crowd there. Hopefully, this year with the crowd back, a tournament like the Cazoo Champion of Champions needs a full crowd.”
Last year Selby lost out to Neil Robertson 6-5 in the semi-final: “I had a good tournament. I had a fantastic game against Neil, we both played great in the semi-final. Whoever missed one shot that was it, the frame was gone. From what I remember, we both had a few centuries, it was a great standard. I was disappointed to lose in the semis, but Neil played fantastically. It would be nice to go one better. I’ve not won this tournament before, so it’s one of the tournaments I want to win. I will be trying my hardest to try and improve on last season and make it to the final but that’s no different from any tournament I play in. I always go out there and try my hardest, and the Cazoo Champion of Champions will be no different, but I am really looking forward to it.”
The full list of players who have qualified so far can be found here.
Tickets for the Cazoo Champion of Champions are on sale now starting from just £12.50 per session in the Group Stage, with all-day tickets from £22.50.
For a little extra you can enjoy our group stage Premium Package which includes:
For the semi-finals and final, we have our VIP Hospitality package which includes:
Buy your tickets today right here.
A full list of players who have qualified so far have been found here.
All ticket prices are subject to booking and transaction fees.
