World number one Mark Selby has kicked off his involvement at the Yushan World Open with a victory over Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn but admits he needs to improve.

The 34-year-old has struggled in 2017-18, having not made it beyond the last 16 of an event so far, but he is hoping for a strong run in Yushan.

Selby, who is priced at 4.75 to win the 2017 UK Championship, was in action on the opening day against Thailand’s world number 90 Lertsattayathorn and he claimed a 5-2 triumph.

The Jester, who missed the start of the season due to a toe injury, fell 2-1 behind in the morning before moving on to level terms in the mid-session.

The world number one stamped his authority on the match when they returned to the table in the afternoon to pick up three frames in succession.

Despite coming out on top, Selby was critical of his sluggish start and insists he will need to improve massively as the event starts to gather speed.

Selby said: “I didn’t start off very well and probably should have been 3-1 down at the interval.

“After the break I thought I played a bit better, but I will need to improve as the tournament goes on.”

The Englishman will need to find more consistency when he returns to action on Tuesday after being handed a tougher looking tie against Wales’ world number 69 Lee Walker.