Mark Selby sparks Crucible gasps after furious outburst in World Championship match

Callum Vurley
Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:03:00 +0000

Mark Selby left the Crucible crowd gasping in disbelief after he slammed his cue against the table following a missed red during his World Championship battle with Wu Yize.

The 42-year-old four-time champion found himself trailing 11-9 to the 22-year-old Chinese sensation, despite having held a two-frame advantage earlier in the contest.

It looked like Selby was about to claim the 21st frame when disaster struck. A routine red bounced off the corners of the bottom right pocket, handing momentum straight back to his young opponent.

The Leicester man's frustration boiled over instantly, smacking his cue against the table with a sound that echoed throughout the famous Sheffield venue.

That thwack was so loud it startled spectators sitting in the Sheffield arena, with the noise carrying clearly across to the neighbouring table.

Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins were in the middle of their own round-of-16 clash at the time, and Higgins was actually in the process of potting when Selby's outburst rang out.

It came dangerously close to putting off the Scottish veteran mid-shot.

Wu capitalised on Selby's error, taking the frame to move within just one of victory at 12-9.

But the Jester from Leicester showed his champion's mettle, responding with a brilliant 95 break to pull back to 12-10.

“A sign of fury!” 😡

Mark Selby can’t hide his frustration after this miss on a red! 😳 pic.twitter.com/9uMPjHiDKM
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) April 27, 2026

Selby has been a dominant force in the sport, having reached the World No. 1 ranking on multiple occasions throughout his career.

His four World Championship triumphs all came between 2014 and 2021, but he's now endured five years without lifting snooker's biggest prize.

His journey to this tense encounter with Wu began with an emphatic statement against Jak Jones in the opening round.

Selby demolished the Welshman 10-2, winning the first six frames before cruising to victory.

Jones admitted afterwards: "I missed a few easy balls early on, which you can't do against the likes of Mark and it really got on top of me. It turned into a bit of an embarrassing performance. I just wanted to walk out of here."

This year's tournament is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory.

O'Sullivan has already been knocked out by Higgins in their last-16 encounter, while defending champion Kyren Wilson suffered defeat at the hands of Mark Allen.

With those big names falling by the wayside, the path to glory looks more open than it has in years.

Should Selby manage to turn things around against Wu, he would fancy his chances of adding a fifth world title to his collection.

The Triple Crown event could yet see another dramatic twist before the final ball is potted.