Selby turns attention to world title (From Basildon Recorder)

Selby turns attention to world title

11:08pm Monday 21st January 2013 in National Sport © Press Association 2013

Mark Selby is aiming to succeed Ronnie O'Sullivan as world champion after winning the Betfair Masters title in London.

The 29-year-old 'Jester from Leicester' became the first man to win back-to-back majors since Mark Williams a decade ago with a 10-6 win over defending champion Neil Robertson.

"I will be there trying my hardest to win that tournament," said Selby, who won the UK Championship in York in December. "Everyone wants to be world champion. The worlds is the main one and it's the pinnacle of our sport."

He added: "It's a long way away from now until April. A lot of things can happen. For me to keep my form up from now all the way to the worlds, it's going to be tough.

"I'll definitely go there trying my hardest and keep putting the hard work in."

O'Sullivan's presence on semi-final day at Alexandra Palace sparked rumours he was preparing to mount a title defence at the Crucible following a lengthy break, but Selby is unfazed.

"It's always nice to win a tournament when Ronnie's involved," he said. "If Ronnie's in the tournament it makes it more difficult, but if he's in a different half (of the draw) and somebody else beats him, it doesn't matter whether he was in the tournament or not."

Selby pointed to the high standard of the game at present - seven of the 15 matches in London went to a deciding frame - but despite emerging as the best, he believes there is plenty of room for improvement.

He added: "Mentally I feel as though I'm in the best state of mind for a long while. Performance-wise, in patches I still think I can play better.

"My match game seems to be getting better and better. When I'm not playing well I seem to be able to dig it out and scrape through, which is great. I seem to find a way to win no matter what."