Snooker was traditionally viewed as a male-only game. Female players were often considered inferior. However, recent success by Asian female players has resulted in a new generation, and the future for women's Snooker looks bright.
2019 was the year of Australia's first women-ranked event. It was won by Nutcharut Wongharuthai, who is believed to be the first woman to achieve a 147 break. She was born 1999, so she is eligible to participate on the World Snooker Tour professional next season.
Chitra Krishnamurthy is another Asian lady snooker player. In 2008, she was the first Indian woman in Australia to win the Australian Open Snooker Championship. In 2011, she won the six-red snooker title. Her first appearance in the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships was in 2014. She reached the final of Eden World Ladies Senior Championships.
Reanne Evans is the number one female snooker player in the world. She is currently the world champion and has won ten titles in world snooker. She has also received a wildcard invitation to compete on the men's tour for the 2010/11 season. She was also given an MBE in recognition of her services to snooker.
Reanne Evans was born in Dudley, West Midlands. She started playing pool at age 14 and has since gone on to become a professional snooker player. She has also won eight billiards, and ball pool titles. She is also the current holder of the World Pool Championship title. She is also the European Masters champion and the most popular female player in the UK.
Evans, then seven-and-a half months pregnant, won 2006 the ladies world title. She was the first female to reach the main stages at a ranking event. She qualified for the Wuxi Classic televised stage in China and beat Thepchaiya Uni-Nooh 5-4 in qualifying matches.
Evans has been world number one for the past ten year. She has won ten world titles and received an MBE for her services to snooker. She has been granted a wildcard invitation for the professional tour of the 2010/11 seasons. She will compete for the UK in the final stages. She will be taking on world number 2 Neil Robertson in round 1.
Reanne McIlroy (Reanne Evans), Emma Bonney, Kelly Fisher, and Reanne Evans are just a few of the great female players around. They were all world number one players at one time and remain among the top snooker players. According to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, there is no gender barrier in snooker. Currently, only two women are ranked in the top 30 of the men's world rankings. The future of women's snooker is bright if they can challenge the best players in the world.
There are many great lady snooker pros around the world. The future looks bright. The sport is growing in the United States as well as other countries. Mike Dominguez of OX Billiards, Seattle, hopes that the sport will grow in the U.S.