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Hossein Vafaei

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Hossein Vafaei
Born (1994-10-15) 15 October 1994 (age 30)
Abadan, Iran
Sport country Iran
NicknameThe Prince of Persia[1]
Professional2012–present
Highest ranking15 (October 2023)
Current ranking 24 (as of 11 November 2024)
Maximum breaks1
Century breaks128 (as of 13 November 2024)
Tournament wins
Ranking1
Medal record
Representing  Iran
Men's Snooker
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Gold medal – first place 2017 Ashgabat Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Ashgabat Singles

Hossein Vafaei (Persian: حسین وفایی; born 15 October 1994) is an Iranian professional snooker player.[2] He is the first professional player from Iran.[3] He won his first ranking title at the 2022 Snooker Shoot Out, beating Mark Williams 1–0 (71–0) in the final.

Vafaei made his Crucible debut at the 2022 World Snooker Championship,[4] where he lost 4–10 to Judd Trump in the first round.[5] He made his Masters debut at the 2023 event, replacing Zhao Xintong in the draw after the sport's governing body suspended Zhao amid a match-fixing investigation.[6] Vafaei defeated Mark Selby 6–2 in the first round,[7] but lost 4–6 to Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals, despite equalling the tournament's highest break of 143 in the match.[8]

Career

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2009/2010 season

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His first international tournament was the 2009 World Under-21 Amateur Snooker Championship. He reached the last 16 where he lost by five frames to three against Liu Chuang.[9]

2010/2011 season

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He participated in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in the snooker singles competition and was beaten 4–1 by Dechawat Poomjaeng in the last 16.[10] In December 2010, he played in the World Amateur Snooker Championship and reached the last 16, where he lost 5–1 to Leo Fernandez.[11]

In April 2011, he reached the final of ACBS Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship, but lost 7–3 to Cao Yupeng.[12] Later in the month he participated in ACBS Asian Snooker Championship, however, he could not advance past the group stage. He competed in Group C, and finished in fourth place with one win and three losses.[13]

2011/2012 season

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In September 2011, he received a wildcard to participate at the Shanghai Masters, but could not advance to the first round as he lost 5–1 against Fergal O'Brien.[14] In December, he won the World Amateur Snooker Championship by defeating Lee Walker 10–9 in the final.[15][16] He won the title at the age of 17 years and 81 days, which made him the youngest ever winner of the tournament, breaking Ian Preece's record.[17]

Vafaei received a wildcard to participate at the 2012 World Open,[18] but lost 5–2 against Mark King.[19] In April 2012, he won ACBS Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship, by defeating Zhang Anda 6–2 in the final.[20] He reached the semi-finals of ACBS Asian Snooker Championship, where he lost 6–3 to Aditya Mehta.[21]

Attempt to turn professional

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He received a main snooker tour card courtesy of his World Amateur win to participate in the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons.[3][22] However, due to visa problems he could only participate in the Six-red World Championship in Thailand, where he lost in the last 16 to Judd Trump, and APTC Event 2 in China, where he lost to Li Yuan in the last 64.[23] It was a similar story in his second season as he only played in the World Games (lost 3–0 to Lü Haotian in the first round) and the Six-red World Championship (failed to advance beyond the group stage).[24]

2014 IBSF World Under-21s Championship

[edit]

In May 2014, Vafaei qualified as the top seed of his group at the 2014 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship by losing only one frame in the preliminary stage.[25] He then beat Poland's Mateusz Baranowski 7–3 in the semi-finals, compiling the first 147 in the history of the tournament in the process.[26] He won the title by defeating Josh Boileau 8–3 in the final.[27]

Special dispensation for the 2014/15 season

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In June 2014, Vafaei received a special dispensation to compete on the Main Tour for the 2014/15 season.[28] In late February 2015, it was confirmed that Vafaei had gained a visa, leaving him able to enter the 2015 World Snooker Championship, where he lost 10–3 to Anthony McGill in the opening qualifying round.[29][30]

2015/2016 season

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The 2015 Australian Goldfields Open was the first ranking event of the 2015/2016 season and Vafaei qualified for it by beating Charlie Walters 5–3, Zak Surety 5–3, Lee Walker 5–4 and Dominic Dale 5–3. In his debut at the venue stage of a ranking event, Vafaei played Michael White in the opening round where he lost 5–3.[31] He played in the UK Championship for the first time (losing 6–1 to Luca Brecel in the first round) and the Welsh Open (losing 4–2 to Robin Hull in the first round).[32]

2016/2017 season

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Vafaei enjoyed wins over Rod Lawler, Zak Surety, Sanderson Lam and Scott Donaldson at the Northern Ireland Open to reach his first ranking event quarter-final, where he lost 5–3 to Mark King.[33][34] He also had a good run at the Welsh Open as he beat Lam, Christopher Keogan and Ali Carter to advance to the fourth round and he was defeated 4–1 by Judd Trump.[35] A month after the Welsh Open, Vafaei also had a good run of form at the China Open, defeating Joe Perry 5–2, Ben Woollaston 5–4 and Rory McLeod 5–3. This booked him a place in the second ranking event quarter-final of his career within the space of a few months. His opponent was to be Judd Trump and Vafaei (the world number 74) was able to keep the world number two at bay and win by 5–3.[36] He lost his first semi-final 6–1 to Mark Williams.[37] After overcoming Hatem Yassen 10–1 and Matthew Selt 10–6, Vafaei was one win away from qualifying for the World Championship, but narrowly lost 10–8 to Tom Ford.[38] He finished the campaign inside the top 64 in the world rankings and retained his place on the tour.[39]

2021/2022 season

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In January 2022, Vafaei won his first ranking title at the 2022 Snooker Shoot Out in Leicester, defeating Mark Williams in the final. He dedicated this victory to his grandmother and mother because that day was mother's day in Iran.[40] He then went on to qualify for the World Snooker Championship for the first time in his career, where he lost 10-4 to Judd Trump in the first round at The Crucible.

2022/2023 season

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Vafaei completed another victory over Selby by defeating him 6–4 in the 2022 UK Championship.[41] He made his first Masters appearance at the 2023 event, where he also defeated Selby.[42]

Vafaei defeated Ding Junhui 10–6 in the first round of the 2023 World Snooker Championship, becoming the first Iranian to win a match at the tournament.[43]

Vafaei was defeated by Mark Williams 6-3 in the semi-final of the 2023 British Open.

Performance and rankings timeline

[edit]
Tournament 2011/
12 		2012/
13 		2013/
14 		2014/
15 		2015/
16 		2016/
17 		2017/
18 		2018/
19 		2019/
20 		2020/
21 		2021/
22 		2022/
23 		2023/
24 		2024/
25
Ranking[44][nb 1] [nb 2] [nb 3] 97 [nb 4] 126 89 59 45 40 41 41 17 17 21
Ranking tournaments
Championship League Non-Ranking Event RR RR 2R RR 2R
Xi'an Grand Prix Tournament Not Held 3R
Saudi Arabia Masters Tournament Not Held 4R
English Open Tournament Not Held A QF 2R 3R 4R 1R 1R 2R 2R
British Open Tournament Not Held 4R LQ SF 1R
Wuhan Open Tournament Not Held LQ 2R
Northern Ireland Open Tournament Not Held QF 2R 1R 1R 1R LQ 2R 2R 1R
International Championship NH A A A LQ LQ WD 2R WD Not Held 1R 2R
UK Championship A WD A A 1R 1R 3R 3R 1R 3R 4R 2R SF
Shoot Out Non-Ranking Event 2R A 2R 1R 2R W 1R WD
Scottish Open NH MR Not Held 2R 1R WD 1R 2R 2R 3R LQ
German Masters A A A A LQ A LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ WD
Welsh Open A A A A 1R 4R 1R SF 1R 4R SF 3R 2R
World Open WR A A Not Held LQ WD A 2R Not Held QF
World Grand Prix Not Held NH DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ QF 2R 1R 2R
Players Championship[nb 5] DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 1R DNQ 1R
Tour Championship Tournament Not Held DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
World Championship A A A LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R 2R 1R
Non-ranking tournaments
Shanghai Masters Ranking Event A A Not Held 2R A
Champion of Champions Not Held A A A A A A A A A 1R A A
The Masters A A A A A A A A A A A QF A
Championship League A A A A A A A A A A A A WD
Former ranking tournaments
Australian Goldfields Open A WD A A 1R Tournament Not Held
Shanghai Masters WR WD A A LQ A 1R Non-Ranking Not Held Non-Ranking
Indian Open Not Held A A NH LQ 3R 2R Tournament Not Held
China Open A A A A LQ SF WD 3R Tournament Not Held
Riga Masters[nb 6] Not Held Minor-Rank WD 2R A WD Tournament Not Held
China Championship Tournament Not Held NR 1R 3R SF Tournament Not Held
WST Pro Series Tournament Not Held RR Tournament Not Held
Turkish Masters Tournament Not Held 2R Not Held
Gibraltar Open Tournament Not Held MR 1R A A 2R 3R WD Not Held
WST Classic Tournament Not Held 3R Not Held
European Masters Tournament Not Held WD 1R WD LQ 2R 1R 1R 1R NH
Former non-ranking tournaments
Six-red World Championship NH 3R RR QF A A A A A Not Held SF Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) 		QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not held means an event was not held.
MR / Minor-ranking event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
NR / Non-ranking event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking event means an event is/was now a ranking event
  1. ^ It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. ^ He was an amateur
  3. ^ New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking
  4. ^ Players qualified through special dispensation started the season without prize money ranking points
  5. ^ The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Final (2011/2012–2015/2016)
  6. ^ The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)

Career finals

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Ranking finals: 1 (1 title)

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Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2022 Snooker Shoot Out Wales Mark Williams 1–0

Pro-am finals: 1

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Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games China Zhao Xintong 2–4

Amateur finals: 4 (3 titles)

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Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2011 ACBS Asian Under-21 Championship China Cao Yupeng 3–7
Winner 1. 2011 World Amateur Snooker Championship Wales Lee Walker 10–9
Winner 2. 2012 ACBS Asian Under-21 Championship China Zhang Anda 6–2
Winner 3. 2014 World Amateur Under-21 Championship Republic of Ireland Josh Boileau 8–3

References

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  1. ^ "Hossein Vafaei". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  2. ^ "VAFAEI AYOURI Hossein". Asian Games. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Hossein Set For Pro Tour". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Iran's Vafaei Earns Crucible Debut". World Snooker. 13 April 2022. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Trump Ends Vafaei's Historic Run". World Snooker. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Vafaei Joins Cazoo Masters Field". World Snooker. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Mark Selby knocked out of Masters by Hossein Vafaei on day of shocks". the Guardian. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Lisowski Battles Through Migraine To Beat Vafaei". World Snooker. 12 January 2023. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  9. ^ "IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship 2009". Cue Sports India. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  10. ^ "Snooker (Men) Individual". Cue Sports India. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  11. ^ "World Snooker Championship 2010". International Billiards and Snooker Federation. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Asian Championship 2011 - 12th Under-21 Snooker". Cue Sports India. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  13. ^ "Asian Snooker Championships 2011 :: Indore - India". www.cuesportsindia.com.
  14. ^ "Shanghai Masters (2011)". WWW Snooker. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  15. ^ "Ayouri managed, retained the title in Asia". International Billiards and Snooker Federation. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  16. ^ "Results of 2011 IBSF World Men's Snooker Championship". International Billiards and Snooker Federation. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  17. ^ Turner, Chris. "Various Snooker Records". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  18. ^ "2012 Haikou World Open draw and format" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  19. ^ "Haikou World Open (2012)". WWW Snooker. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  20. ^ "14th ONGC Asian Under-21 Snooker Championships 2013 :: Indore". www.cuesportsindia.com.
  21. ^ "2012 Asian Snooker Championship". Cue Sports India. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  22. ^ "The Tour 2012/2013 Season Provisional Qualifying Criteria" (PDF). World Snooker. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  23. ^ "Hossein Vafaei Ayouri 2012/2013". Snooker.org. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  24. ^ "Hossein Vafaei Ayouri 2013/2014". Snooker.org. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  25. ^ "Knockout Draw for World Under-21 Snooker Championship". Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  26. ^ "Hossein hits the maximum". IBSF. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  27. ^ Pathak, Vivek (18 May 2014). "Second world title for Hossein Vafaei". International Billiards and Snooker Federation. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  28. ^ "Tirapongpaiboon/Ayouri Tour Cards". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  29. ^ "Visa For Vafaei". prosnookerblog.com. Pro Snooker Blog. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  30. ^ "Hossein Vafaei Ayouri 2014/2015". Snooker.org. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  31. ^ "Hotshot Hossein Is Bendigo Bound". World Snooker. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  32. ^ "Hossein Vafaei Ayouri 2015/2016". Snooker.org. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  33. ^ "Iran's Hossein Vafaei makes history in Northern Ireland Open". Tehran Times. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  34. ^ "'Dreadful' King into Northern Ireland Open last four". Romford Recorder. 19 November 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  35. ^ "Hossein Vafaei Ayouri 2016/2017". Snooker.org. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  36. ^ "China Open snooker: Judd Trump loses to Iranian world number 76 Hossein Vafaei". BBC Sport. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  37. ^ "China Open: Mark Williams to face Mark Selby in final". BBC Sport. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  38. ^ "O'Brien Wins Record Two-Hour Frame". World Snooker. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  39. ^ "Rankings 2016/2017". Snooker.org. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  40. ^ "Hossein Vafaei becomes first Iranian player to win a ranking title with victory over Mark Williams". BBC Sport.
  41. ^ "Mark Selby suffers shock UK Championship exit to Hossein Vafaei". independent.co.uk. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  42. ^ Media, P. A. (8 January 2023). "Mark Selby knocked out of Masters by Hossein Vafaei on day of shocks". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  43. ^ "Shocking scenes as 'Just Stop Oil' protestor covers table with orange powder". eurosport.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  44. ^ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
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