Marco Fu
Encyclopedia
Marco Fu Ka-chun ' onMouseout='HidePop("18431")' href="/topics/Yale_Romanization">Yale
: Fu6 Ka1 Chun3; born 8 January 1978 in Hong Kong
), commonly known as Marco Fu, is a professional snooker
player from Hong Kong
. He currently resides in Happy Valley
. He is best known for winning the 2007 Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan
in the final, and for being runner-up in the 2008 UK Championship. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2006 World Championship.
, Canada
with his parents at the age of 12. After his high school graduation at age 18, Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council Co. Ltd President Joseph Lo invited him to return to Hong Kong
to begin his career as a professional snooker player. Before turning professional, Fu won the World Amateur and World Under-21 Championships, both in 1997.
(5–2) and then Peter Ebdon
(5–3) in the process. An in-form Stephen Lee
proved too strong for Fu in the final, defeating him 9–2, but Fu nevertheless rose dramatically through the rankings, reaching number 15 in the world for the 2000/01 season. When he first turned professional, he was ranked 377th in the world. During the rest of the 1998/99 season
, Fu qualifed for four more ranking tournaments, including the World Championship, winning four qualifying matches before losing to James Wattana
8–10 in the first round of the main draw.
He was voted WPBSA Newcomer of the Year and WSA Young Player of the Year in 1999. Tipped by many pundits as a potential champion of the game, Fu's subsequent performance was disappointing, and he slid back down the rankings.
, with Fu now ranked 35 in the world, he received automatic entry into the main draw of most of the ranking tournaments. Although he failed to repeat the success of reaching the final of the Grand Prix, he made a credible run to the quarter finals before losing to Allister Carter
. Other achievements of note include reaching semi finals of the Malta Grand Prix and the Scottish Open
.
In the 2000/2001 season
Fu was ranked 15th in the world, his first appearance in the top 16. However, a succession of defeats in the last 16, and a first round defeat in the World Championship to Chris Small
, saw him fall out of the top 16 for next season. In the 2001/02 season
Fu's his best result was a last 16 appearance at the LG Cup. He failed to qualify for three ranking events, including the World Championship, and, as a result, his ranking fell to 27 for the following season, his lowest in two seasons.
The 2002/2003 season
brought better luck for Fu, although prior to the Welsh Open his best result was reaching the third round of the UK Championship in December 2002, where he was defeated 9–7 by Ronnie O'Sullivan
. However, at the Welsh Open in February 2003, he produced a run to the semi finals. Fu whitewashed Stephen Lee
5–0 in the second round and beat Ronnie O'Sullivan
5–3 in the quarter-finals, before losing his semi-final 6–4 to Stephen Hendry
, who went on to win the title.
Going into the 2003 World Championship three months later, after first round losses at the European
and Scottish Open
suggested he would not go far in the tournament, particularly as his first round opponent was world No. 1 and runaway favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan
. Fu reached the first of his two World Championship quarter-finals to date. In what Snooker Scene magazine described as "one of the greatest upsets in the history of the game", the unseeded 25-year-old overcame the odds to defeat O'Sullivan in their first round clash. Fu dominated this match from the outset, opening up a 6–3 overnight lead; and although O'Sullivan made four (including a maximum 147 break), Fu never looked to be in trouble and won 10–6. Fu subsequently eliminated Alan McManus
13–7 in the second round before losing 7–13 to Stephen Lee
in his quarter-final match.
In 2003, Fu also won his first title since turning professional in the invitational Premier League
, beating Mark Williams
9–5 in the final in Sunderland. This was the first time the title went outside of the British Isles
.
in the LG Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the Welsh Open, beating Liu Song, Matthew Stevens
, Ken Doherty
and Stephen Hendry
before succumbing to Steve Davis
. After a consistent 2003/2004 season, he regained a top 16 position for 2004/2005 season, ranked 16.
The following season was less consistent, although he qualified for all tournaments except the Malta Cup, and his best result was a quarter-final loss to Ding Junhui
at the China Open
. He finished the season ranked 25, falling seven places. The 2005/2006 season did not look better either, a series of first round defeats saw him provisionally drop out of the top 32. However, he had a good run at the 2006 World Championship, beating three seeded players – Alan McManus
10–3, Stephen Maguire
13–4, and Ken Doherty
13–10 – to reach the semi-finals, where he lost to world no.7 and 2002 World Champion Peter Ebdon
16–17. In that match, Fu was 9–15 down with only one session left to play, but won seven out of the next eight frames to send the match into the deciding frame, which Ebdon eventually won. Fu's success in this tournament can be largely attributed to working with coach Terry Griffiths
. Fu had used Griffiths for a short while some years ago – but did not commit to the necessary changes in technique. This run enable him to stay in the world top 32 for next season, ranked 22.
The 2006/2007 season was not hugely successful. He skipped the UK Championship to play in the Asian games (winning two medals there), and, largely due to the fact that he was affected by a virus, was unable to repeat his World Championship form of the previous year, losing 3–10 to Anthony Hamilton
in the first round, a defeat that saw Fu start the 2007/2008 season ranked 27th in the world – a drop of five places. His best result that season was a quarter-final run in the China Open, where he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The 2007/2008 season was to bring his first ranking title. Following a first round loss at the Shanghai Masters
and nine years after his first appearance in a ranking final at the 1998 Grand Prix, Fu won the Grand Prix — his first ever victory in a ranking event. After defeating the reigning World Champion John Higgins in the first knock-out round 5–4, Liu Song 5–0 in the quarter-finals and Gerard Greene
6–5 in the semi-finals, he faced Ronnie O'Sullivan
in the final. After falling 3–4 behind after the first session, he went on to win 9–6, with a break of 76 in the final frame. Previously, Fu's biggest title has only been the invitational Premier League
which he captured in 2003. For the rest of the season, he reached the quarter-finals of the UK Championship, losing to Mark Selby
; and he also reached the semi-finals of the Masters, losing to Stephen Lee
.
He qualified for the World Championship, with a 10–3 win over Alan McManus
. He played China's Ding Junhui
in the first round, and it was an emphatic fight, which he lost 9–10. He capped a successful season by finishing in career high 14 in the rankings, a climb of thirteen places from the previous season. This guaranteed Fu automatic a bye to the main draw of tournaments next season without playing qualifying matches, as well as being seeded.
in the Northern Ireland Trophy
and crashed out in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters
to Mark Selby
. At the Grand Prix, he lost in the second round to Ronnie O'Sullivan
, a repeat of last season's final. Things did not improve for Fu in the Bahrain Championship
, where he lost in the first round to Dominic Dale
. At the UK Championship, he beat Barry Hawkins
in the first round, followed by Matthew Stevens
and Joe Perry
. In the semi-finals, Fu knocked out the 2008 World Championship runner up, Ali Carter
, after a great comeback. At one stage in the match he was trailing 2–5, but Carter missed a simple pink ball in the eighth frame, allowing Fu to win the frame, ending the first session trailing by 3–5. He levelled to 6–6, and then led by 8–6, making three centuries in the process. In the final, Fu was defeated (after conceding) by Shaun Murphy
in a tense match by 10 frames to 9. It was a match highly affected by tension and both of the players did not produce their best form, the only century being a 102 from Fu. He suffered a first round defeat to John Higgins at the Masters, decided by a fluked last black, in what was a great effort to nearly force a decider. In the Welsh Open, Fu was defeated by Neil Robertson
in the quarter-finals, having beaten Fergal O'Brien
en route as well as runaway favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan
. In the World Championship, he advanced to the second round by beating Joe Swail 10–4 comfortably. He faced Shaun Murphy in the next round, where he lost 3–13.
season started with a last 16 loss to Ronnie O'Sullivan by 2–5 at the Shanghai Masters. Along the way, Fu edged out Nigel Bond
5–4. At the Grand Prix he lost in the last 32 4–5 against Mark Davis
.
In December 2009, Fu participated in the East Asian Games
, held in Hong Kong. In the singles competition he was beaten by Chinese Yu Delu 4–1 in the quarter-finals. But later won a gold medal in the team competition with Hong Kong. Fu lost his next three first round matches. He lost against Peter Lines
3–9 at the UK Championship, Peter Ebdon 2–6 at the Masters and Andrew Higginson
2–5 at the Welsh Open. Later Fu captured the Championship League
by beating Mark Allen
3–2 in the final and reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 China Open, where he lost 1–5 against Mark Williams
. At the last ranking event of the season, the World Championship Fu faced Martin Gould
at the Crucible. Fu lead 5–4 after the first session, after he missed a straight red for 6–3. Ultimately Fu lost the match 9–10. As a result Fu slid down to 14th in the world rankings
.
4–5 against Mark Davis
and the World Open
1–3 against Andrew Higginson
. Fu was ranked 16th in second revision of the rankings. In November 2010, Fu participated in the Asian Games
, held in Guangzhou. He won the singles competition by defeating Ding Junhui
4–2 in the final. Fu reached the semi-finals of the Premier League
, where he lost 2–5 against Shaun Murphy
. Fu reached the second round of the UK Championship
, where he lost 2–9 against Stuart Bingham
. Fu also participated at the Players Tour Championship
, where his best results came at the first
and second
event in Sheffield, where he reached the semi-finals, but lost 1–4 against Stephen Maguire
and 2–4 against Mark Selby
respectively. Fu finished 16th on the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit.
Fu has reached the final of the Masters
, where he lost 4–10 against Ding Junhui
. Fu reached the semi-finals of the German Masters
, where he lost 3–6 against Mark Williams
. In Welsh Open
, he lost 0–4 against Mark Williams
in last 32, after winning his qualifying match 4–1 against Joe Swail
. Fu lost his first round matches at the China Open
and World Championship
, 3–5 against Judd Trump
and 8–10 against Martin Gould
respectively.
Fu once held the record for the longest frame in the history of televised snooker. The record of 77 minutes held with Mark Selby
was played out during the decisive final frame during the four quarter-final match at the 2007 UK Championship held in Telford
, England
. Fu eventually lost the match 7–9. However, the record was then broken by Shaun Murphy
and Dave Harold
in a match at the China Open later in the same season. The new record is 93 minutes.
.
Shirley also comes from Hong Kong
. She has completed her Masters at a London University in Supply Chain Logistics.
| valign=top width=40% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|Legend
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| World Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| UK Championship (0–1)
|- bgcolor=
| Other (1–1)
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
|width="80"|Outcome
|width="20"|No.
|width="50"|Year
|width="250"|Championship
|width="200"|Opponent in the final
|width="100"|Score
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| 1998
| Grand Prix
|
| 2–9
|-
| style="background:#98FB98"|Winner
| 1.
| 2007
| Grand Prix
|
| 9–6
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 2.
| 2008
| UK Championship
|
| 9–10
|}
Yale Romanization
The Yale romanizations are four systems created at Yale University for romanizing the four East Asian languages of Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese...
: Fu6 Ka1 Chun3; born 8 January 1978 in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
), commonly known as Marco Fu, is a professional snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He currently resides in Happy Valley
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Happy Valley is a mostly residential suburb of Hong Kong, located in the northern part of Hong Kong Island. Administratively, it is part of Wan Chai District....
. He is best known for winning the 2007 Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
in the final, and for being runner-up in the 2008 UK Championship. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2006 World Championship.
Early career
Fu started playing snooker at the age of nine, but did not start playing regularly until he was 15. Fu was born in Hong Kong and emigrated to VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with his parents at the age of 12. After his high school graduation at age 18, Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council Co. Ltd President Joseph Lo invited him to return to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to begin his career as a professional snooker player. Before turning professional, Fu won the World Amateur and World Under-21 Championships, both in 1997.
First year as a professional
In 1998, the year he turned professional, Fu reached the final of the Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'SullivanRonnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
(5–2) and then Peter Ebdon
Peter Ebdon
Peter "Ebbo" Ebdon is an English professional snooker player and former world champion renowned for his remarkably focused, determined style of play.-Early years:...
(5–3) in the process. An in-form Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
proved too strong for Fu in the final, defeating him 9–2, but Fu nevertheless rose dramatically through the rankings, reaching number 15 in the world for the 2000/01 season. When he first turned professional, he was ranked 377th in the world. During the rest of the 1998/99 season
Snooker season 1998/1999
The snooker season 1998/1999 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1998 and 1999. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:...
, Fu qualifed for four more ranking tournaments, including the World Championship, winning four qualifying matches before losing to James Wattana
James Wattana
James Wattana is a Thai professional snooker player.-Career:...
8–10 in the first round of the main draw.
He was voted WPBSA Newcomer of the Year and WSA Young Player of the Year in 1999. Tipped by many pundits as a potential champion of the game, Fu's subsequent performance was disappointing, and he slid back down the rankings.
Rise through the rankings
In the 1999/2000 seasonSnooker season 1999/2000
The snooker season 1999/2000 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1999 and 2000. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:...
, with Fu now ranked 35 in the world, he received automatic entry into the main draw of most of the ranking tournaments. Although he failed to repeat the success of reaching the final of the Grand Prix, he made a credible run to the quarter finals before losing to Allister Carter
Allister Carter
Allister "Ali" Carter is an English professional snooker player, who lives in Tiptree. He reached the final of the 2008 World Championship, his first major final. Although he lost heavily to Ronnie O'Sullivan, this run allowed him to reach the top 8 of the rankings for the first time...
. Other achievements of note include reaching semi finals of the Malta Grand Prix and the Scottish Open
Players Championship (snooker)
The Players Championship was a professional snooker tournament. It is the most recent name of the ranking tournament held in Scotland every year. The tournament has had a bewildering number of name changes in its history. Until recently it was commonly known as the Scottish Open, and prior to that...
.
In the 2000/2001 season
Snooker season 2000/2001
The snooker season 2000/2001 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2000 and 2001. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
Fu was ranked 15th in the world, his first appearance in the top 16. However, a succession of defeats in the last 16, and a first round defeat in the World Championship to Chris Small
Chris Small
Christopher "Chris" Small is a retired Scottish professional snooker player. His career was ended by the spinal condition ankylosing spondylitis.-Career:...
, saw him fall out of the top 16 for next season. In the 2001/02 season
Snooker season 2001/2002
The snooker season 2001/2002 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2001 and 2002. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
Fu's his best result was a last 16 appearance at the LG Cup. He failed to qualify for three ranking events, including the World Championship, and, as a result, his ranking fell to 27 for the following season, his lowest in two seasons.
The 2002/2003 season
Snooker season 2002/2003
The snooker season 2002/2003 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2002 and 2003. This was the final season to have tobacco sponsored events to a legal ban apart from Embassy which would continue to sponsor the World Championship for another two years...
brought better luck for Fu, although prior to the Welsh Open his best result was reaching the third round of the UK Championship in December 2002, where he was defeated 9–7 by Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
. However, at the Welsh Open in February 2003, he produced a run to the semi finals. Fu whitewashed Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
5–0 in the second round and beat Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
5–3 in the quarter-finals, before losing his semi-final 6–4 to Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
, who went on to win the title.
Going into the 2003 World Championship three months later, after first round losses at the European
Malta Cup
The Malta Cup was a professional snooker tournament that has been on the World Snooker calendar since the 1988/89 season. It was previously known as the European Open as the sole ranking tournament in Europe, outside the British Isles.- History :Prior to the 1988/89 season, there were no ranking...
and Scottish Open
Players Championship (snooker)
The Players Championship was a professional snooker tournament. It is the most recent name of the ranking tournament held in Scotland every year. The tournament has had a bewildering number of name changes in its history. Until recently it was commonly known as the Scottish Open, and prior to that...
suggested he would not go far in the tournament, particularly as his first round opponent was world No. 1 and runaway favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
. Fu reached the first of his two World Championship quarter-finals to date. In what Snooker Scene magazine described as "one of the greatest upsets in the history of the game", the unseeded 25-year-old overcame the odds to defeat O'Sullivan in their first round clash. Fu dominated this match from the outset, opening up a 6–3 overnight lead; and although O'Sullivan made four (including a maximum 147 break), Fu never looked to be in trouble and won 10–6. Fu subsequently eliminated Alan McManus
Alan McManus
Alan McManus is a Scottish professional snooker player, known for his tactical play and safety shots, giving rise to his nickname "Angles" McManus.-Career:...
13–7 in the second round before losing 7–13 to Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
in his quarter-final match.
In 2003, Fu also won his first title since turning professional in the invitational Premier League
2003 Premier League Snooker
*58–69, 83–25, 24–66, 75–8, 9-, 0–98 , 72–60 , 39–80 , -, 42–61** 73–26, -, 104–32, 23–82 , 74–57, 49–57, 71–48, 59–32...
, beating Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
9–5 in the final in Sunderland. This was the first time the title went outside of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
.
First ranking tournament title
As a result of his run to the quarter finals of the World Championship the previous season, he climbed up to number 19 for the 2003/2004 season. This meant he only had to play one qualifying match to progress to the main draw of the tournaments. He qualified for all the ranking tournaments except the World Championship, his best results including a third round loss to Michael HoltMichael Holt (snooker player)
Michael Holt is a professional snooker player from Nottingham, England. , he has reached the quarter finals of three ranking tournaments – the 1999 UK Championship, the 2003 LG Cup, and the 2005 Grand Prix.-Career:...
in the LG Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the Welsh Open, beating Liu Song, Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
, Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
and Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
before succumbing to Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
. After a consistent 2003/2004 season, he regained a top 16 position for 2004/2005 season, ranked 16.
The following season was less consistent, although he qualified for all tournaments except the Malta Cup, and his best result was a quarter-final loss to Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
at the China Open
2005 China Open (snooker)
The 2005 China Open professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 26 March–3 April 2005 at the Chaoyang Sports Centre in Beijing, China...
. He finished the season ranked 25, falling seven places. The 2005/2006 season did not look better either, a series of first round defeats saw him provisionally drop out of the top 32. However, he had a good run at the 2006 World Championship, beating three seeded players – Alan McManus
Alan McManus
Alan McManus is a Scottish professional snooker player, known for his tactical play and safety shots, giving rise to his nickname "Angles" McManus.-Career:...
10–3, Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
13–4, and Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
13–10 – to reach the semi-finals, where he lost to world no.7 and 2002 World Champion Peter Ebdon
Peter Ebdon
Peter "Ebbo" Ebdon is an English professional snooker player and former world champion renowned for his remarkably focused, determined style of play.-Early years:...
16–17. In that match, Fu was 9–15 down with only one session left to play, but won seven out of the next eight frames to send the match into the deciding frame, which Ebdon eventually won. Fu's success in this tournament can be largely attributed to working with coach Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
. Fu had used Griffiths for a short while some years ago – but did not commit to the necessary changes in technique. This run enable him to stay in the world top 32 for next season, ranked 22.
The 2006/2007 season was not hugely successful. He skipped the UK Championship to play in the Asian games (winning two medals there), and, largely due to the fact that he was affected by a virus, was unable to repeat his World Championship form of the previous year, losing 3–10 to Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton (snooker player)
Anthony Hamilton is an English professional snooker player noted for his strong break-building technique and distinctive appearance. He has spent five seasons ranked among the game's top 16, and fifteen in the top 32, reaching a career-high at number #10 in the world in the 1999/2000 season...
in the first round, a defeat that saw Fu start the 2007/2008 season ranked 27th in the world – a drop of five places. His best result that season was a quarter-final run in the China Open, where he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
2007 Shanghai Masters
The 2007 Shanghai Masters was the inaugural event of the Shanghai Masters tournament and the first ranking event of the season. It took place between 6–12 August 2007 at the Shanghai Grand Stage.Dominic Dale won in the final 10–6 against Ryan Day....
and nine years after his first appearance in a ranking final at the 1998 Grand Prix, Fu won the Grand Prix — his first ever victory in a ranking event. After defeating the reigning World Champion John Higgins in the first knock-out round 5–4, Liu Song 5–0 in the quarter-finals and Gerard Greene
Gerard Greene
Gerard Greene is a left-handed Northern Irish professional snooker player, who has represented Northern Ireland in international events , as his parents are from Belfast. He lives in Rainham in Kent...
6–5 in the semi-finals, he faced Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
in the final. After falling 3–4 behind after the first session, he went on to win 9–6, with a break of 76 in the final frame. Previously, Fu's biggest title has only been the invitational Premier League
2003 Premier League Snooker
*58–69, 83–25, 24–66, 75–8, 9-, 0–98 , 72–60 , 39–80 , -, 42–61** 73–26, -, 104–32, 23–82 , 74–57, 49–57, 71–48, 59–32...
which he captured in 2003. For the rest of the season, he reached the quarter-finals of the UK Championship, losing to Mark Selby
Mark Selby
Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters...
; and he also reached the semi-finals of the Masters, losing to Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
.
He qualified for the World Championship, with a 10–3 win over Alan McManus
Alan McManus
Alan McManus is a Scottish professional snooker player, known for his tactical play and safety shots, giving rise to his nickname "Angles" McManus.-Career:...
. He played China's Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
in the first round, and it was an emphatic fight, which he lost 9–10. He capped a successful season by finishing in career high 14 in the rankings, a climb of thirteen places from the previous season. This guaranteed Fu automatic a bye to the main draw of tournaments next season without playing qualifying matches, as well as being seeded.
2008/2009
The 2008/2009 season started with a last 32 loss to Barry HawkinsBarry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player. He has reached three ranking semi-finals, and spent five seasons inside the top 32 of the rankings. He has also played in the World Championship the last six years running.-Early career:Before taking up snooker professionally he was an...
in the Northern Ireland Trophy
2008 Northern Ireland Trophy
The 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 24 and 31 August 2008 in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast....
and crashed out in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters
2008 Shanghai Masters
The 2008Roewe Shanghai Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 29 September and 5 October 2008 at the Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China...
to Mark Selby
Mark Selby
Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters...
. At the Grand Prix, he lost in the second round to Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
, a repeat of last season's final. Things did not improve for Fu in the Bahrain Championship
2008 Bahrain Championship
The 2008 Bahrain Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 8 November and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama, Bahrain...
, where he lost in the first round to Dominic Dale
Dominic Dale
-External links:**...
. At the UK Championship, he beat Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player. He has reached three ranking semi-finals, and spent five seasons inside the top 32 of the rankings. He has also played in the World Championship the last six years running.-Early career:Before taking up snooker professionally he was an...
in the first round, followed by Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
and Joe Perry
Joe Perry (snooker player)
-External links:*...
. In the semi-finals, Fu knocked out the 2008 World Championship runner up, Ali Carter
Allister Carter
Allister "Ali" Carter is an English professional snooker player, who lives in Tiptree. He reached the final of the 2008 World Championship, his first major final. Although he lost heavily to Ronnie O'Sullivan, this run allowed him to reach the top 8 of the rankings for the first time...
, after a great comeback. At one stage in the match he was trailing 2–5, but Carter missed a simple pink ball in the eighth frame, allowing Fu to win the frame, ending the first session trailing by 3–5. He levelled to 6–6, and then led by 8–6, making three centuries in the process. In the final, Fu was defeated (after conceding) by Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (snooker player)
Shaun 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. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian.Born in Harlow, England, Murphy turned...
in a tense match by 10 frames to 9. It was a match highly affected by tension and both of the players did not produce their best form, the only century being a 102 from Fu. He suffered a first round defeat to John Higgins at the Masters, decided by a fluked last black, in what was a great effort to nearly force a decider. In the Welsh Open, Fu was defeated by Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson (snooker player)
Neil Robertson is an Australian professional snooker player and the 2010 World Champion and World #4...
in the quarter-finals, having beaten Fergal O'Brien
Fergal O'Brien
Fergal O'Brien is an Irish professional snooker player. He has won one ranking title and reached two other major finals, and spent three seasons as a top 16 player.-Career:...
en route as well as runaway favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
. In the World Championship, he advanced to the second round by beating Joe Swail 10–4 comfortably. He faced Shaun Murphy in the next round, where he lost 3–13.
2009/2010
The 2009/10Snooker season 2009/2010
The snooker season 2009/10 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2009 and 2010. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :- Official rankings :...
season started with a last 16 loss to Ronnie O'Sullivan by 2–5 at the Shanghai Masters. Along the way, Fu edged out Nigel Bond
Nigel Bond
-External links:*...
5–4. At the Grand Prix he lost in the last 32 4–5 against Mark Davis
Mark Davis (snooker player)
Mark Davis is an English professional snooker player from St. Leonards in Sussex, England. The highlights of his career so far have been winning the Benson & Hedges Championship in 2002 – earning him an appearance at the Masters – and winning the 2009 Six-red World Championship.- Career :Davis...
.
In December 2009, Fu participated in the East Asian Games
2009 East Asian Games
The 2009 East Asian Games, officially known as the V East Asian Games, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Hong Kong, between 5 December and 13 December 2009. A total of 2,377 athletes from 9 East Asian national competed in 262 events in 22 sports...
, held in Hong Kong. In the singles competition he was beaten by Chinese Yu Delu 4–1 in the quarter-finals. But later won a gold medal in the team competition with Hong Kong. Fu lost his next three first round matches. He lost against Peter Lines
Peter Lines
Peter Lines is an English professional snooker player from Leeds. He practices at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.He qualified for the World Championship in 1998, compiling a magnificent 141 total clearance in the process before losing 10–3 to John Parrott in Round One...
3–9 at the UK Championship, Peter Ebdon 2–6 at the Masters and Andrew Higginson
Andrew Higginson
Andrew Higginson is an English professional snooker player, currently living in Widnes. He is best known for reaching the final of the 2007 Welsh Open as a virtual unknown...
2–5 at the Welsh Open. Later Fu captured the Championship League
2010 Championship League
-Group two:Group two matches were played on 6 and 7 January 2010. John Higgins was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:*Ali Carter 3–1 John Higgins*Mark Selby 1–3 Judd Trump*Neil Robertson 0–3 Marco Fu...
by beating Mark Allen
Mark Allen (snooker player)
Mark Allen is a Northern Irish professional snooker player. He won the World Amateur Championship in 2004. The following year he turned professional and took only three seasons to reach the elite top 16...
3–2 in the final and reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 China Open, where he lost 1–5 against Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
. At the last ranking event of the season, the World Championship Fu faced Martin Gould
Martin Gould
Martin Gould is an English professional snooker player from Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. He practises at the Whetstone Snooker Club. He works part-time as a debt collector, where he picked up his nickname "Solid Gould"....
at the Crucible. Fu lead 5–4 after the first session, after he missed a straight red for 6–3. Ultimately Fu lost the match 9–10. As a result Fu slid down to 14th in the world rankings
Snooker world rankings 2010/2011
Snooker world rankings 2010/2011: The professional world rankings for all the professional snooker players who qualified for the 2010/2011 season are listed below. The rankings worked as a two-year rolling list. The points for each tournament two years ago were removed, when the corresponding...
.
2010/2011
In the 2010/2011 season Fu lost in the first round of the Shanghai Masters2010 Shanghai Masters
The 2010 Roewe Shanghai Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 6–12 September 2010 at the Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China.Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, but he has withdrawn due to personal reasons....
4–5 against Mark Davis
Mark Davis
-Entertainers:*Mark Davis , radio talk show host*Mark Davis , adult film actor*Mark Davis , former drummer of Ugly Kid Joe*Richard Cheese , comedic lounge singer...
and the World Open
2010 World Open (snooker)
The 2010 12bet.com World Open professional ranking snooker tournament was held at the S.E.C.C., Glasgow between 18–26 September 2010. This was the first time that the World Open was sponsored by 12bet.com....
1–3 against Andrew Higginson
Andrew Higginson
Andrew Higginson is an English professional snooker player, currently living in Widnes. He is best known for reaching the final of the 2007 Welsh Open as a virtual unknown...
. Fu was ranked 16th in second revision of the rankings. In November 2010, Fu participated in the Asian Games
Cue sports at the 2010 Asian Games
Cue sports at the 2010 Asian Games was held in Asian Games Town Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China from November 13 to 20, 2010.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Three-cushion billiards singles:-English billiards singles:-Eight-ball singles:...
, held in Guangzhou. He won the singles competition by defeating Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
4–2 in the final. Fu reached the semi-finals of the Premier League
2010 Premier League Snooker
The 2010 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker professional non-ranking snooker tournament was played from 2 September to 28 November 2010.Shaun Murphy was the defending champion, but Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated him 7–1 in the final.- Prize fund :...
, where he lost 2–5 against Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (snooker player)
Shaun 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. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian.Born in Harlow, England, Murphy turned...
. Fu reached the second round of the UK Championship
2010 UK Championship (snooker)
The 2010 12BET.com UK Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 4–12 December 2010 at the Telford International Centre, Telford, England.Ding Junhui was the defending champion, but he lost 8–9 against Mark Allen in the last 16....
, where he lost 2–9 against Stuart Bingham
Stuart Bingham
Stuart Bingham is an English professional snooker player. He was the 1996 English Amateur and World Amateur champion, but for many years was something of a journeyman professional. He had a run of strong results in late 2005, to earn him a top 32 world rankings place he has yet to lose...
. Fu also participated at the Players Tour Championship
Players Tour Championship 2010/2011
The Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 started on 24 June 2010 and ended on 20 March 2011 with events held in Sheffield and Europe. The televised finals took place between the top 24 Order of Merit players, who have played at least 6 events ....
, where his best results came at the first
Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 1
-Section 2:-Section 3:-Section 4:-Section 5:-Section 6:-Section 7:-Section 8:-Finals:-Century breaks:*147 Kurt Maflin*141, 129 Mark Selby*138, 118 Tony Drago*137, 129, 124, 124, 114 Stephen Maguire*136 Jordan Brown*136 Dave Harold...
and second
Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 2
The Players Tour Championship 2010/2011 – Event 2 minor-ranking snooker tournament took place between 8–11 July 2010, at the World Snooker Academy, Sheffield, England.Mark Selby won in the final 4–3 against Barry Pinches, despite at one point trailing 1–3.-Prize fund and ranking...
event in Sheffield, where he reached the semi-finals, but lost 1–4 against Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
and 2–4 against Mark Selby
Mark Selby
Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters...
respectively. Fu finished 16th on the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit.
Fu has reached the final of the Masters
2011 Masters (snooker)
The 2011 Ladbrokes Mobile Masters professional non-ranking snooker tournament was held between 9–16 January 2011 at the Wembley Arena, London, England...
, where he lost 4–10 against Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
. Fu reached the semi-finals of the German Masters
2011 German Masters
The 2011 German Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 2–6 February at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany.The event was last held in 1998, but it was non-ranking...
, where he lost 3–6 against Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
. In Welsh Open
2011 Welsh Open (snooker)
The 2011 Wyldecrest Park Homes Welsh Open professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 14–20 February 2011 in the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales. This was the first time that the Welsh Open was sponsored by Wyldecrest Park Homes....
, he lost 0–4 against Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
in last 32, after winning his qualifying match 4–1 against Joe Swail
Joe Swail
-External links:*...
. Fu lost his first round matches at the China Open
2011 China Open (snooker)
The 2011 Bank of Beijing China Open professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 28 March and 3 April 2011 at the Beijing University Students Gymnasium, Beijing, China....
and World Championship
2011 World Snooker Championship
The 2011 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 16 April and 2 May 2011 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 74th edition of the event and was the last ranking event of the 2010/2011 snooker season...
, 3–5 against Judd Trump
Judd Trump
Judd Trump is an English professional snooker player from Bristol. He enjoyed considerable success in youth tournaments before turning professional in 2005. On 3 April 2011, Trump won his first ranking title, beating Mark Selby 10–8 in the final of the China Open...
and 8–10 against Martin Gould
Martin Gould
Martin Gould is an English professional snooker player from Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. He practises at the Whetstone Snooker Club. He works part-time as a debt collector, where he picked up his nickname "Solid Gould"....
respectively.
Status and records
Fu is a prolific break-builder. He achieved his highest break of 147 at the 2000 Scottish Masters and has compiled 200 competitive century breaks during his career.Fu once held the record for the longest frame in the history of televised snooker. The record of 77 minutes held with Mark Selby
Mark Selby
Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters...
was played out during the decisive final frame during the four quarter-final match at the 2007 UK Championship held in Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Fu eventually lost the match 7–9. However, the record was then broken by Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (snooker player)
Shaun 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. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian.Born in Harlow, England, Murphy turned...
and Dave Harold
Dave Harold
David 'Dave' Harold is an English professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He is known by the nicknames of "the Hard Man" and "the Stoke Potter"...
in a match at the China Open later in the same season. The new record is 93 minutes.
Personal life
Fu was educated in Vancouver, Canada and has had spells living in Wales and Scotland, and now stays in London with wife Shirley, who he married in May 2011. He is a supporter of Manchester United and also enjoys the music of Avril LavigneAvril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
.
Shirley also comes from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She has completed her Masters at a London University in Supply Chain Logistics.
Ranking event finals: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)
{|| valign=top width=40% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|Legend
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| World Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| UK Championship (0–1)
|- bgcolor=
| Other (1–1)
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
|width="80"|Outcome
|width="20"|No.
|width="50"|Year
|width="250"|Championship
|width="200"|Opponent in the final
|width="100"|Score
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| 1998
| Grand Prix
|
| 2–9
|-
| style="background:#98FB98"|Winner
| 1.
| 2007
| Grand Prix
|
| 9–6
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 2.
| 2008
| UK Championship
UK Championship (snooker)
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...
|
| 9–10
|}
Non-ranking tournaments
- Premier League Snooker – 20032003 Premier League Snooker*58–69, 83–25, 24–66, 75–8, 9-, 0–98 , 72–60 , 39–80 , -, 42–61** 73–26, -, 104–32, 23–82 , 74–57, 49–57, 71–48, 59–32...
- Thailand Masters – 2007
- Championship LeagueChampionship LeagueChampionship League is a non-ranking snooker tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport. All tournaments have been held at the Crondon Park Golf Club since its debut in 2008.- History and format :...
– 20102010 Championship League-Group two:Group two matches were played on 6 and 7 January 2010. John Higgins was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:*Ali Carter 3–1 John Higgins*Mark Selby 1–3 Judd Trump*Neil Robertson 0–3 Marco Fu...
Amateur tournaments
- IBSF World Under-21 Championship – 1997
- IBSF World Amateur ChampionshipIBSF World Snooker ChampionshipThe IBSF World Snooker Championship is the premier non-professional snooker tournament in the world. The event series is sanctioned by the International Billiards and Snooker Federation...
– 1997