The Masters - Day One - Mark King defeats Wembley King

Mark Selby's defence of the Masters crown was over before it even begun.

The Jester from Leicester suffered only his second ever defeat at Wembley, with a shock loss today in his first round match with Mark King.

On a weekend where giantkillings have stolen the headlines in football's FA Cup, snooker stirred up its very own fairytale story.

Selby, present in all of the last three Masters final, was hoping to begin a road to history today. Victory at this year's competition would have seen him level the great Paul Hunter's Wembley record of three titles in four years.

The task is seemed was tailor made for a player like Selby too, who loves a challenge, and often produces his best under pressure.

But world number 16 King, who rarely gets the praise he deserves as one of the sport's toughest match players, used the absence of pressure on him to spring a massive surprise.




This was even after Selby had established a 2-0 lead in the match.

His lead looked unassailable but then King replied in a manner that we've not come to expect from the Romford potter. He rattled in a a break of 139 to reduce his arrears to 2-1, before taking the next three as he went 4-2 ahead.

Selby pegged the match back level but King showed exactly the kind of fighting spirit he's relied on throughout his professional career, to clinch the match.

I'll be honest. Like many others, I didn't give poor King a chance in this match. He proved me and many others wrong. Even by his own admission, he may not be the most glamorous of players.

He said after the match: "I am the worst break-builder there is in the top 16.

"I don't make tons, I get in and make 30 or 20, but ever since the UK Championship I have been really working on it and I went to China with Stephen Hendry and got a little bit of advice from him."

But again, when his days seemed numbered in the top 16, he's made people take notice, and remember why he he is in the elite.

He's one of the best fighters the game has. His ability to win frames when the balls go 'scrappy' has done the trick against Selby. Next, he faces the winner in the match between Jamie Cope and Shaun Murphy.