Mark Selby v Neil Robertson live stream | World Grand Prix 2021 preview
Robertson and Selby will be absent from Turkey (Anna Gowthorpe/PA Archive/PA Images)
Mark Selby and Neil Robertson go head to head in a mouth-watering World Grand Prix semi-final showdown on Friday.
Either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Stuart Bingham will await the winner of this epic clash in Sunday’s showpiece at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Between them, Selby and Robertson boast 41 ranking titles, 14 Triple Crowns and over 1,500 centuries during glittering careers.
Although, it is the Thunder who has enjoyed the better of the head-to-head record in recent times.
Indeed, the 2010 World champion won all four meetings between the players last season, including a commanding 10-3 victory in the Tour Championship semi-finals.
Robertson has prevailed in five of their six previous semi-final encounters, as well as five of their six showdowns in ITV televised events.
The 2020 champion’s quest to become only the second multiple World Grand Prix winner after Judd Trump saw him drop just a single frame in his opening two matches, before edging out Yan Bingtao on the final pink in the last eight.
Meanwhile, this is Selby’s first ranking event semi-final since winning his fourth World title in May.
The Jester is notoriously still searching for his first silverware in an ITV televised event; coming closest to breaking that duck at last season’s Shoot-Out, when he was beaten by Ryan Day in the final.
Guaranteed world number one heading into 2022 following Trump’s second-round exit, Selby has produced arguably his best snooker of the season this week.
The World champion overcame left-handers Barry Hawkins and Mark Allen, before he made breaks of 104, 93 and 74 during a 5-2 over fellow Leicester cueist Tom Ford in the quarter-finals.
The match gets underway at 7pm GMT on Friday and will be contested over the best of 11 frames at the Coventry Building Society Arena.