Masters snooker: Mark Selby thrashes Ali Carter to reach last eight

Mark Selby produced a superb display to thrash Ali Carter 6-1 and advance to the last eight of the Masters at Alexandra Palace.

Three-time champion Selby, compiled breaks of 62, 108 and 93 as he reeled off the first four frames to head into the mid-session interval in complete control.

While fellow Englishman Carter did get a frame on the board once play resumed, he was barely able to make any impression on the match, with Selby knocking in a sublime break of 126 before sealing his victory with a half-century.

“I played in the Championship League last week and felt I was hitting the ball quite well. It is nice to carry it on and bring it into a tournament as big as this,” Selby told BBC Sport.

“You are only human and you can easily come out and collapse with this crowd. There is a lot of pressure out here.”

Selby will now face Mark Allen or Si Jiahui in the quarter-finals.

Earlier on Monday, Ding Junhui edged past Mark Williams 6-5 in a final-frame decider to book his place in the next round against either Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins.

While neither player was at their best in a fragmented opening to the match, the contest sparked into life after the mid-session interval.

Having made breaks of 57 and 70, Wales’ two-time winner Williams led 3-2 before the momentum swung back towards his Chinese opponent, who enjoyed runs of 64 and 60.

In a see-saw encounter Williams compiled a sublime break of 136 to level and then pinched the ninth frame after Ding faltered on 66 to lead 5-4.

However, the 2011 champion made a 76 to force an 11th frame after enjoying a fortuitous run of the balls, and then secured his win with a wonderful break of 90.