Players Championship Snooker 2024: Mark Selby fights back to beat Barry Hawkins, sets up Ronnie O’Sullivan quarter-final

Mark Selby recovered from a slow start to beat Barry Hawkins 6-3 and to set up a quarter-final with world No .1 Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Players Championship in Telford.

A scrappy start saw both players falter their way through the first frame, with Hawkins eventually taking the lead after Selby conceded having left the yellow over the corner pocket.

Taking the first clearly settled Hawkins, who went 2-0 up with a break of 78.

Hawkins’ flow continued into the third, but a costly error saw him catch an unintended red as he attempted to find the right corner and gave Selby a chance to return to the table.

It proved to be the glimpse back into the game that Selby needed as he took the third before a break of 73 helped him get back level.

The table opened up nicely for Hawkins in the fifth and he duly obliged to retake the lead – dropping short of a century break with 91.

What followed was a ruthless comeback from Selby, who reeled off four frames on the bounce to progress.

From 3-2 down, Selby finally found his stride – finishing with breaks of 75 and 67 – to win 6-3 and set up a showdown with O’Sullivan in the next round.