Mark Selby held off a Pang Junxu fightback to prevail 5-4 and book a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Wuhan Open.

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Tomorrow's meeting will be the first between the pair since 2024, when Selby whitewashed O'Sullivan 6-0 at the Players Championship. They've met in finals of all three of snooker's Triple Crown events, as well as many other high profile contests, and seven-time World Champion O'Sullivan leads the overall head-to-head 17-12.

A subplot this week for Selby sees him in a four-way race, alongside Judd Trump, Zhao Xintong and Neil Robertson, for the world number one spot. He knows that he must win the event to move to the summit of the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings, a position he held for four consecutive years between 2015 and 2019.

The Jester from Leicester looked in for a comfortable afternoon today, when he raced to a 4-1 advantage. However, the tenacious Pang reeled him in and forced a decider. Four-time Crucible king Selby showed his class and made a match-winning 63 to get over the line.

"I've played Ronnie so many times in big matches and big finals. When you play someone like Ronnie, you don't know how long he is going to carry on playing. Every time you do face him you have to cherish it," said 43-year-old Selby.

"As a young lad all you want to do is be World Champion and world number one. Fortunately I've done both. I'd love to try and get back there. It has been a while as Judd has been dominating. I'm in with a shout this week."

O'Sullivan has been frustrated with his game all week, but so far has only lost five frames. He defeated former UK Champion Stephen Maguire 5-2 today, but after the match when asked about his chances of taking home the trophy he dismissed the notion.

"No. Absolutely no chance," said 41-time ranking event winner O'Sullivan. "I was happy to win a match. When I won two matches I was over the moon. To win three, for me, was a miracle at the moment. I’ve probably gone as far as I can go."

Current world number one Trump must win the title to have an opportunity to retain his status at the summit. He beat Si Jiahui 5-1 today and now faces Chang Bingyu, who was a 5-2 winner against Ali Carter.

2025 World Champion Zhao Xintong is in pole position for the world number one race, with Neil Robertson in second spot. They now face each other in a crucial showdown tomorrow. Zhao beat Barry Hawkins 5-3 to get to the quarters, while Robertson beat Liam Davies 5-3.

Mark Williams defeated Welsh compatriot Daniel Wells 5-2 to book his quarter-final slot. He now faces back-to-back defending champion Xiao Guodong, who won 5-3 against Chris Wakelin.

Wuhan Open Day Four: Selby And O'Sullivan Set Up Showdown