On January 26, 2022, Beijing time, the World Snooker German Masters will officially kick off, but this race is not easy for four-time world champion Mark Selby. Because of their under-performance this season, the German Masters in Berlin will be Selby's last chance to compete in welfare competitions. Players' championships and tour tournaments are very attractive to professional players, but they are also very demanding of professional players. The players' tournament qualification is the players in the top sixteen in a single season, and the qualification for the tour tournament is the top eight players in the single season. But Selby is currently only 18th.
Selby was in a very awkward position
The German Masters are the last major tournament before the Players' Championship and the one where Selby must strive for good results. This game is not only about whether he can regain his confidence, but also whether he will have the opportunity to qualify for the welfare race next. In the 1/16 final of the German Masters, Selby will face world number 112 Pinkis to secure a place in the round of 16. If he wants to get into the Players' Championship, he has to at least reach the quarter-finals of the tournament. If he doesn't make it to the quarter-finals, he'll most likely miss the next welfare event.
Analysis of Selby's current points situation and situation
After the German Masters, only the top 16 players in a single season can earn a place in the Players Championship. Selby is currently 18th, 500 points behind Anthony McGill and 3,500 points behind Barry Hawkins at no. 16. With a 3-5 defeat to Georgiou, Hawkins missed the German Masters Round of 32. It's an opportunity for Selby to get £10,000 as long as he makes it to the quarterfinals, which gives him a good chance of getting into the Players Championship. But his draw situation is not ideal, because after he passes the first round of the game, he will most likely meet Yan Bingtao or Gilbert. However, with Selby's current competitive state, this has all become very difficult. When it comes to Gilbert, Selby probably has a good chance of qualifying. If you meet Yan Bingtao, the probability of him being out will be very large, after all, this is a player who plays the same way as him.
Selby did not erupt again for fear of heavy losses
However, the threat to Selby is much more than that, with Maguire, currently ranked 19th this season, trailing Selby by 4,000 points and he will face Tom Ford in the opening game of the German Masters. If these two players want to qualify for the Players Championship, they have to go as far as they can, and the final four could be an ideal position. After all, after getting the final four results, they will receive 20,000 pounds in prize money and points. So the pressure Selby is currently facing is not only from the top of the rankings, but also from behind him. After all, the players' tournament is too attractive, and everyone is eager to receive huge prize money and supreme honors here. So the pressure on Selby to really get into the players' tournament is not small, he needs to see not only how he plays, but also depends on whether his competitors are not good enough. In the current situation, Selby still has to try to ensure that he reaches the final four to be truly secure, but his current state may be difficult to give such a guarantee. And once he doesn't get into that desirable position, he will most likely disqualify the Players Tournament and the Tour Championship. After that, he will lose the opportunity to fight for points, and his world number one ranking is likely to change hands as a result.