The 2017 Paul Hunter Classic was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place in August 2017 at the Stadthalle in Fürth, Germany. It was the third ranking event of the 2017/2018 season. The tournament is named in honour of former snooker professional, Paul Hunter.

Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker player. Ranked world number one on multiple occasions, he has won a total of 22 ranking titles, placing him eighth on the all-time list of ranking tournament winners. He is a four-time World Snooker Champion, and has won the Masters three times and the UK Championship twice for a total of nine Triple Crown titles, putting him on a par with John Higgins, and behind only Ronnie O’Sullivan (23), Stephen Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15).