Watching a match / RANK147
Champion of Champions day one: Wakelin wins twice to knock out holder Selby
Group 1 produced an upset as Chris Wakelin beat Barry Hawkins 4–1 and Mark Selby 6–2 to become the first group winner. Group 2 plays today, with Judd Trump against Jak Jones the headline match.
Data to 10 November 2026, before Group 2 starts, from WST scores and official statistics collected on this site. Head-to-heads start in January 2024 and are not complete histories. Times are given in UK time.
Group 1 results
Group 1 was played on 9 November. Selby edged Alfie Burden 4–3 and Wakelin beat Barry Hawkins 4–1 in the first round; in the evening group final Wakelin beat the defending champion Selby 6–2 to take the first semi-final place.
| Round | Match | Score | Key numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Mark Selby v Alfie Burden | 4–3 | Burden made the only century, 109; Selby had three 50+ breaks |
| First round | Chris Wakelin v Barry Hawkins | 4–1 | Wakelin made 117 and potted 73% to Hawkins’s 51% |
| Group final | Chris Wakelin v Mark Selby | 6–2 | Highest break only 70 (Selby); three frames decided by 10 points or fewer |
Selby survives the first round
Selby led 3–1 before Burden won two frames in a row to level: Selby scored nothing in frames 5 and 6, and Burden made 109 in the sixth. Selby took the decider 134–0 without giving Burden a chance.
Selby potted 64% and made three breaks over 50, so his form was not poor; Burden simply took two frames in the middle of the match.
How Wakelin beat Selby
In the first round Wakelin lost the opening frame and then won four in a row; his 117 and 73% pot success were the best numbers of Group 1’s first round.
The group final was different. Neither player made a big break, Selby’s best was 70 and Wakelin’s 56, and the match turned on tight frames: Wakelin won frames 3, 4 and 8 by 59–51, 66–58 and 62–52, all within 10 points. Selby’s pot success fell from 64% in the first round to 51%, he lost all three close frames, and the scoreline opened up.
Day two (10 November)
Neil Robertson v Panchaya Channoi (13:00 UK time): Channoi has yet to win any of the eight matches recorded on this site this season, excluding the Championship League, the closest being 2–4 against Aaron Hill and 3–5 against Jiang Jun. Robertson is 10–8 this season, so on the numbers this is Group 2’s most predictable match.
Judd Trump v Jak Jones (14:00 UK time): Jones leads their recorded head-to-head 2–1. Jones won 13–9 in the 2024 World Championship quarter-finals, Trump won 5–1 at the 2024 Xi’an Grand Prix, and Jones won 6–3 in this season’s British Open semi-finals.
The group final is at 19:00 UK time, and the winner meets Wakelin in the semi-finals on 13 November.
| Possible group final | Recorded head-to-head | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Trump v Robertson | Trump leads 5–2 | 2026 Tour Championship semi-final, Trump 10–4 |
| Jak Jones v Robertson | 1–1 | 2026 Welsh Open round 3, Robertson 4–3 |
Our expectations
On our numbers Group 2 hinges on Trump v Jones. Jones has reached three finals this season and won the pair’s last two meetings, while Trump leads on season wins; it is hard to pick a favourite. Robertson v Channoi is the most one-sided match on paper.
If the group final is Trump v Robertson, Trump has the clear head-to-head edge, yet Robertson won exactly that group final 6–4 at the 2024 Champion of Champions. As Group 1 showed, in short formats head-to-heads and season records are only a guide.