World No.1 Mark Selby has withdrawn from the 2016 players championship which is due to commence next Tuesday afternoon. He has also withdrawn from the upcoming the China open also.
The reason for his withdrawal from these two major competitions is still unclear, but its believed to be for personal reasons.
This comes as a big shock, especially as he was expected to play at both tournaments to defend his world No.1 position from rival Stuart Bingham who will now be targeting Selby’s No.1 spot.
Next in the line to take Selby’s spot is Matt Selt, who will play Andrew Higginson in the first round of the players championship.
We will keep you updated as news filters down.