up the opening round of the Masters, Mark Selby destroyed Robert Milkins 6-1, turning up one of his greatest games of the year. The three-time Alexandra Palace winner, The Jester, won easily after recording five breaks of fifty or more. For the second time in five years, he has secured his place in the quarterfinals and will now take on Northern Irishman Mark Allen.
Defying Rob Milkins 6-1, Mark Selby firmly guaranteed his spot in the Masters quarterfinals.
The former world number one breezed into the final eight, recording five breaks over fifty, including a brilliant 119 in the second set
Following Mark Allen’s comeback victory over John Higgins earlier in the day, Selby will face Allen for a spot in the semi-finals.
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And after a clinical performance, he sent a warning to the Pistol, proving that he is back to his best. He even overcame a brief period of “fury” when a loud noise in the audience caused him to miss a shot.
After suffering his third consecutive loss in three trips to Alexandra Palace, Milkins, on the other hand, had a miserable evening and will continue to wait for his first victory there.
Selby, who didn’t win the tournament since 2013, got out to a quick start, scoring 100 points in the first set without taking more than 50 breaks.
After that, he managed to score an impeccable 119, even though he didn’t see the black until the very last shot of his trip.
By now Milkins had hardly even glanced at the table, and it proved telling when he fouled on a very easy black to finish a break of eleven too soon at the beginning of the third frame.
From then on, it was sloppy and ungainly, with nine reds pushed below the black and Selby issuing a warning for two misses at one point.
The forty-year-old broke the deadlock in the end, but he had to play safe after attempting to develop some of the remaining reds and finishing with a touching ball.
MilkinsThe Milkman was starting to lose patience, when a loud disturbance in the crowd turned Selby away from his visit.
But the former world champion would get another chance to finish the set, and he did so with a superb 63 to guarantee a 4-0 lead at the halfway point of the session
After the intermission, it appeared as though the attack would continue as the Jester easily reached 45, missing a red that was hovering over the pocket
A chance that Milkins could not afford to miss was offered to him, and he duly cleaned up with a break of 88, surpassing his previous high for the match of 13
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That turned out to be merely a hiccup for Selby, though, as he took advantage of a badly missed red from Milkins to make it 5-1 with a superb 70, his fourth consecutive 50-plus game.
Being the first at the table and failing to create an impact, Milkins was once again his own worst enemy in what turned out to be the decisive frame.
With a break of 74, the Jester secured a 6-1 victory and a quarterfinal matchup with Allen.
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