Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player who has been considered the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, he has won 14 major ranking titles, including three UK Championships, two Shanghai Masters titles and one German Masters title (2014). He has twice reached the final of the Masters, winning once in 2011. Representing China at the Asian Games, Ding has won five gold medals in individual and team events. In 2016, he became the first Asian player to reach the final of the World Championship. The same year, he won his first Six-red World Championship.
Mark James Williams, is a Welsh professional snooker player who is a three-time World Champion, winning in 2000, 2003, and 2018. Often noted for his single-ball long potting ability, Williams has earned the nickname "The Welsh Potting Machine".
Stephen Gordon Hendry is a Scottish professional snooker player and a commentator for the BBC and ITV. As a seven-time World Champion, he is the most successful player in the modern era of the World Snooker Championship and holds the record for the most seasons as world number one. His first world title in 1990, at the age of 21, made him the youngest-ever World Champion.
Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan is an English professional snooker player who is widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in the history of the sport. As a six-time world champion, a record seven-time Masters champion, and a record seven-time UK champion, he has won a record 20 Triple Crown titles, surpassing Stephen Hendry's previous record of 18. He also holds the record for the most ranking titles in the sport, with 37. He has won career prize money of over £12 million, and has been ranked world number one on multiple occasions.
John Higgins, is a Scottish professional snooker player. Since turning professional in 1992, he has won four World Championships, three UK Championships, and two Masters titles for a total of nine Triple Crown titles, putting him on a par with Mark Selby and behind only Ronnie O’Sullivan (20), Stephen Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15). He has won 31 career ranking titles, putting him in third place on the all-time list behind O'Sullivan (37) and Hendry (36). Known as a prolific break-builder, he has compiled over 800 century breaks in professional tournaments, second only to O'Sullivan. He has also compiled 12 competitive maximum breaks, placing him second behind O'Sullivan (15). He has been ranked world number 1 on four occasions.
Peter David Ebdon is a retired English professional snooker player and conspiracy theorist. He was World Champion in 2002, beating Stephen Hendry 18–17 in the final, and won the UK Championship in 2006 and seven other ranking events between 1993 and 2012. He was also a losing finalist in the World Championship in 1996 and 2006. Ebdon turned professional in 1991 and beat six-time world champion Steve Davis 10–4 in the first round of the 1992 World Championship.
Marco Fu Ka-chun, MH, JP is a Hong Kong professional snooker player. He is a three-time ranking event winner, having won the 2007 Grand Prix, the 2013 Australian Goldfields Open and the 2016 Scottish Open. He has been a runner-up at two Triple Crown events, at the 2008 UK Championship and the 2011 Masters. In addition, Fu has reached the semi-finals of the World Championship twice—in 2006 and in 2016.
A maximum break is the highest possible break in a single frame of snooker. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points, followed by all six colours for a further 27 points. Compiling a maximum break is regarded as a particularly significant achievement in the game of snooker, and may be compared to a nine-dart finish in darts or a 300 game in ten-pin bowling.
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the tournament a record seven times, followed by Steve Davis with six titles and Stephen Hendry with five. Neil Robertson is the reigning champion, winning his third title in 2020.
The China Open is a professional snooker tournament. It is one of a number of ranking tournaments and began in 1997. The reigning champion is Neil Robertson.
Stephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won six major ranking tournaments, including the 2004 UK Championship, reaching the final of that event twice more. Maguire turned professional in 1998 after winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship. He was ranked in the top 16 of the snooker world rankings consecutively for 11 years, from 2005 to August 2016. As a prolific break-builder, he has compiled more than 400 century breaks, including three maximum breaks.
Barry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player from Ditton, Kent. He turned professional in 1996, but only rose to prominence in the 2004–05 snooker season, when he reached the last 16 of the 2004 UK Championship, the quarter-finals of the 2004 British Open, and the semi-finals of the 2005 Welsh Open. He has now spent twelve successive seasons ranked inside the top 32. He reached his first ranking final and won his first ranking title at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open.
Stuart Bingham is an English professional snooker player who is a former world and masters champion. Bingham won the 1996 World Amateur Championship but enjoyed little sustained success in the early part of his professional career. His form improved in his mid-thirties: At age 35, he won his first ranking title at the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open, which helped him enter the top 16 in the rankings for the first time.
The 1997 Benson & Hedges Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 2 and 9 February 1997 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, England.
The Paul Hunter Classic is a non-ranking snooker tournament. It changed from a ranking event to a 16-man invitational event in 2019. From 2010 to 2015 it was part of the Players Tour Championship. Barry Hawkins is the reigning champion. After losing its ranking event status, independent promoter Snookerstars.de promoted the 2019 event.
The 2014 Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 12 and 19 January 2014 at the Alexandra Palace in London, England. This was the first time that Dafabet sponsored the Masters.
Shaun Peter Murphy is an English professional snooker player who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting.
The 1997 Doc Martens European League was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that was played from 28 December 1996 to 18 May 1997. All matches including the play-offs were played at the Diamond Centre at Irthlingborough.
The 2018–19 snooker season was a series of professional snooker tournaments played between 10 May 2018 and 6 May 2019. The season was made up of ranking tournaments, non-ranking tournaments and variant tournaments. In total, 46 events were competed in the 2018–19 season, beginning with the pro–am 2018 Vienna Open, and ending with the 2019 World Snooker Championship.
Ronnie O'Sullivan started his professional snooker career in 1992 and is widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. His play and accomplishments are described by some peers and pundits as being the greatest in the modern era of snooker. O'Sullivan is a six-time world champion, and holds many records, including the fastest maximum break in professional competition; the highest number of century breaks; the highest number of maximum breaks, and the most Triple Crown event titles (20).
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
