World number one Mark Selby was at his determined best in seeing off the challenge of Sam Craigie to reach the last 32 of the D88.com European Masters in Lommel.

Selby lifted the China Championship on Sunday, defeating John Higgins in a high-quality final, but he managed to stave off tiredness and jetlag to defeat Craigie 4-1.

The ‘Jester from Leicester’s’ world number one spot is currently under threat, with world champion Mark Williams projected to overtake him by the end of the season. A break of 54 in frame two from the three-time world champion was the only half-century in his five-frame tussle with Craigie. Both players routinely had chances to score in each frame, but it was Selby that did enough to cross the winning line.

His reward is a clash with Mark Davis on Wednesday, a match Selby is 1.22 to win.

Defending champion Judd Trump continued his strong start to the week in Lommel with a second consecutive whitewash victory, beating Liam Highfield 4-0. Breaks of 72, 60 and 84 sent Trump into a commanding lead and, while Highfield had his chance in frame four, the Ace in the Pack rallied to take it 64-50 on the colours and move on.

Trump is aiming to become the first player to win the same ranking event three years in a row since Stephen Hendry achieved the feat at the UK Championship 22 years ago. Trump is strong favourite at 1.22 to overcome Tian Pengfei on Wednesday evening.