Snooker was historically viewed as a game for men, and female players were generally considered to be inferior. The rise of Asian female snooker players has brought about a new generation.
In 2019, Australia saw the first ever women's ranking event. Nutcharut Woongharuthai was the winner. She is believed be the first woman in Australia to score a 147 break. She was born in 1999, and is already eligible to compete on the professional World Snooker Tour next season.
Another Asian lady snooker player is Chitra Krishnamurthy. She was the first Indian woman ever to win the Australian Open Snooker Championship 2008. She also won the six-red snooker championship in 2011. In 2014, she made her first appearance at the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships. She has also reached finals in the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships.
Reanne Evans is the number one female snooker player in the world. She has won ten world titles, and is the reigning world champion. She has been invited wildcard to play on the men's touring in 2010/11. For her contribution to snooker she has been awarded an MBE.
Reanne Evans was raised in Dudley (West Midlands). At the age of 14, she started playing pool. She has since become a professional snooker ace. She has won eight titles in billiards or ball pool, as well as snooker. 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, who was seven and a quarter months pregnant, won the ladies world title in 2006. She was the first woman to reach the main stages of a ranking event. She qualified for China's Wuxi Classic, where she defeated Thailand's Thepchaiya UN-Nooh 5-4.
Evans has been the number one world snooker player for the past ten years. She has been awarded ten world titles, and an MBE for her contributions to snooker. She has been granted a wildcard invitation for the professional tour of the 2010/11 seasons. She will compete in the final stages of the world ranking event in the UK. In the first round, she will play Neil Robertson, world number 2.
Reanne McIlroy, Reanne Evans, Emma Bonney, and Kelly Fisher are some of the best female players in the world. They were all world number one players at one time and remain among the top snooker players. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association believes there is no obstacle for women to snooker. Currently, only two women are ranked in the top 30 of the men's world rankings. But if the next generation of female stars can challenge the world's best players, the future of women's snooker should be bright.
Many talented ladies snooker players are out there, and the future looks bright. The sport is growing in America and other countries. Mike Dominguez, the owner of OX Billiards Seattle, hopes to see the sport grow in the U.S.