Mark Selby reaches Crucible second round with battling victory over Jamie Jones

Defending champion Mark Selby nudged into the second round of the World Snooker Championship despite looking far from his best in a 10-7 win over Jamie Jones.

Selby compiled three centuries but struggled for consistency in a match that marked his first appearance at the Crucible since he revealed mental health concerns.

Having sat out recent tournaments in Gibraltar and Turkey, it was inevitable Selby would take time to settle, but he had Jones to thank for missing a number of chances to make the match much tighter.

Turning a 6-3 advantage after the morning session into an 8-3 lead upon their resumption in the evening, Selby proceeded to toil as Jones clawed his way back into contention at 8-6.

But Selby responded by showing the kind of battling qualities that have earned him four world titles, with a 137 clearance that also marked his 100th career century in the tournament.

Jones once again reduced the deficit but Selby got the better of a number of visits in the next, seizing on a costly in-off by his opponent to finally complete a gruelling victory.

Afterwards Selby admitted: “It was quite emotional going back out there today.

“The result was irrelevant as long as I went out and tried to enjoy it and smiled a little bit, and that’s what happened. The main thing for me at the moment is just getting better.

“When it got to 9-7 I could see that he fancied the job. But I sat in my chair and thought, if he comes back and beats me 10-9, I’ll still have enjoyed that. The time I stop enjoying it is when I hang up my cue.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan swatted aside an early scare to establish a 6-3 lead over David Gilbert in the opening session of their first-round clash, which concludes on Sunday.

O’Sullivan, seeking to match Stephen