Snooker is traditionally seen as a man's game. Women are generally seen as being inferior. The recent success of Asian female players has created a new generation of stars in snooker, and women's snooker is on the rise.
In 2019, Australia held the first women’s ranking 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, a Asian lady snooker champion, is another. She became the first Indian woman to win the Australian Open Snooker Championship in 2008. In 2011, she won the six-red snooker title. In 2014, her first appearance in the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships took place. She also reached the finals of the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships.
Reanne Evans, the world's number-one lady snooker player, is Reanne Evans. She has won ten international titles and is the current world champion. She was also invited to the wildcard tour of the men's tour in the 2010/11 season. She has also been awarded an MBE for her services to snooker.
Reanne Evans was raised in Dudley (West Midlands). She started playing pool at age 14 and has since gone on to become a professional snooker player. She has won eight titles in billiards or ball pool, as well as snooker. She is also currently the World Pool Championship holder. She is also the European Masters champion and the most popular female player in the UK.
Evans, who was seven and a quarter months pregnant, won the ladies world title in 2006. She was first woman to reach main stages in a ranking event. She qualified to the Wuxi Classic in China televised stages, beating Thepchaiya Nooh (5-4) in a qualifying match.
Evans has been the world number 1 for the past 10 years. She has won ten world titles and received an MBE for her services to snooker. She has also been awarded a wildcard invitation to compete on the professional tour for the 2010/11 season. She will compete in London's final stages in the world ranking event. She will be playing world number two Neil Robertson in the first round.
Reanne McIlroy, Reanne Evans, Emma Bonney, and Kelly Fisher are some of the best female players in the world. They are all former world number ones, and are some of the greatest snooker players of all time. According to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, there is no gender barrier in snooker. There are currently only two women in the top 30 on the men's global rankings. Women's snooker's future is bright if there are female players who can challenge these world-class players.
Many talented ladies snooker players are out there, and 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.