Mark Selby can now call himself World Champion. Selby, coming from behind on Monday to defeat two-time defending champ Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Crucible in Sheffield to claim his first ever World Championship.
Trailing 10-7 after the first half of the race to 18, Selby would quickly turn things around as the second half resumed. O'Sullivan seemed out of sorts on the day and Selby would quickly settle in and he rattled off four straight frames to erase the lead of the two-time defending champ and take an 11-10 lead.
O'Sullivan tied things up at 11 and could have retaken the lead, but somehow he missed the easiest of pinks. A focussed Selby then stepped up to steal the frame, leading 12-11 at the break, sending O'Sullivan into the last session of a world championship final trailing for the first time of his career.
Selby continued to take control in the last session and won three frames of first four to lead 15-12.
O'Sullivan would win the next two though to move back within one. But Selby rallied like only a true champions can. He mustered his first century, of 131, then an 87 to lead 17-4, .one frame from glory.
And once O'Sullivan pocketed the cue ball, there was no chance for him to come back. Selby potted the final black to give him a first world championship title, 18-14 for the "Jester from Leicester."