Snooker was historically viewed as a game for men, and female players were generally considered to be 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 hosted the first women's ranking competition. 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 eligible to play on the next season of the World Snooker Tour.
Chitra Sri Krishnamurthy is another Asian woman snooker player. She became the first Indian woman to win the Australian Open Snooker Championship in 2008. She also won the 2011 six-red snooker championship. Her debut appearance in 2014 at the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships marked her second appearance. She also reached to the final of the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships.
Reanne Evans is the number one female snooker player in the world. She is the reigning world champion, having won ten world titles. In addition, she was invited to compete on the men’s tour during the 2010/11 season as a wildcard. She has also been awarded an MBE for her services to snooker.
Reanne Evans was born and raised in Dudley, West Midlands. At age 14, she began playing pool and has gone on to be a professional snooker player. In addition to snooker, she has also won eight ball pool and billiards titles. She currently holds the title of World Pool Champion. She is also the European Masters champion and the most popular female player in the UK.
Evans was seven-and-a-half months pregnant when she won the ladies' world title in 2006. She was the first woman ever to reach the main stage of a ranking competition. She was able to qualify for the Wuxi Classic in China's televised stages and defeated Thepchaiya U-Nooh of Thailand 5-4 in a qualifying match.
Evans is the current world number one. She has won ten World titles and was awarded an MBE to acknowledge her service to snooker. She was also granted a wildcard invitation to participate on the professional tour in the 2010/11 season. She will compete at the UK's final stages for the world ranking. She will be playing world number two Neil Robertson in the first round.
Reanne MacIlroy, Reanne Evans, Emma Bonney and Kelly Fisher are some the most prominent 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. There are currently only two women in the top 30 on the men's global rankings. If the next generation can challenge the best players worldwide, women's snooker will be a bright future.
There are many talented lady snooker players in the world, and the future looks bright. The sport is growing in the United States and other countries, and Mike Dominguez, owner of OX Billiards in Seattle, hopes to get the sport to grow in the U.S.