Selby Targets Riga Silverware

As the Kaspersky Riga Masters gets underway today in Riga, Latvia, one man looking to begin the new season in style with a win will be Leicester's world champion Mark Selby.

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Having collected a second Crucible title just a matter of months ago, beating China’s Ding Junhui 18-14 in the final, Selby is looking to continue his fine form into the new season by winning the Riga Masters.

Formerly a Euro Tour event, the Riga Masters is now a full ranking event with a cool £37,500 first prize available for the winner of the tournament.

Selby faces Michael Holt in the first round in Riga, and with odds of 3/10 on from bookmakers Coral to lift the trophy, he'll will certainly be among the frontrunners for the title should he overcome what is a tricky opening encounter against the man who beat Neil Robertson at the Crucible in April.

Despite admitting to only producing his best snooker in patches during his time in Sheffield, Holt has been among the game’s most consistent players for the past few years, and looks set to feature heavily in the latter stages of tournaments for the foreseeable future should he continue with his development.

Elsewhere, following his surprise World Snooker Championship first round defeat at the hands of Holt, Australian Robertson has set his sights firmly on a successful early season this time around. Having won the Champion of Champions and UK Championship last season, as well as reaching the final of the Welsh Open, Robertson is 1/9 on to overcome Michael Georgiou in the first round in Riga. However, with the Australian suffering from inconsistency in the past, extend your chances by making use of a free bet from Coral, offering a risk free option for supporters of Robertson.

Despite a relatively poor season last season, Judd Trump is the 5/1 favourite with Coral to win the Riga Masters. Although he picked up a second China Open title in April, an early exit at the Crucible will have him chomping at the bit to return to action and win multiple titles this season.

Also in snooker news, five Chinese players have been granted two-year tour cards to compete on the main tour this season, with Cao Yupeng, Chen Zhe and Fang Xioman having come through Q-School. This comes in the wake of World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn stating his belief that half of the world’s top 16 will come from China in the near future. 

For all the results and scores from the Riga Masters, head to Snooker.org.