Marco Fu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marco Fu | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | January 8, 1978 |
| Nationality |  Chinese |
| Professional | 1998– |
| Highest ranking | #14 (2008/09) |
| 2008/09 ranking | #14 |
| Career winnings | GB£690,765[1] |
| Highest break | 147 (2000)[2] |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 1 |
| Non-ranking | 1 |
Marco Fu Ka-chun (Chinese name: 傅家俊; b. January 8, 1978), best known as Marco Fu, is a professional snooker player from Hong Kong, China.
Contents |
[edit] Life and career
Marco Fu was born in Hong Kong and emigrated to 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.[3]
In 1998, the year he turned professional, Fu reached the final of the Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan (5-4) and then Peter Ebdon (6-1) in the process.[4] 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.[2] When he first turned professional, he was ranked 377th in the world.[4]
He was voted WPBSA Newcomer of the Year[1] and WSA Young Player of the Year in 1999.[4]
Tipped by many pundits as a potential champion of the game, [2] Fu's subsequent performance was disappointing, and he slid back down the rankings. His only real achievement of note over the next five years was reaching the semi-finals of the Welsh Open in 2003. In this tournament, Fu whitewashed Stephen Lee 5-0 in the quarter-finals before losing his semi-final 6-4 to Stephen Hendry, who went on to win the title.[5]
In the 2003 World Championship three months later 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 knocked out world No. 1 and runaway favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round of the tournament. Fu dominated this match from the outset, opening up a 6-3 overnight lead; and although O'Sullivan made three centuries (including a maximum 147 break) while recovering, Fu never looked to be in trouble and won 10-6.[6] Fu subsequently eliminated Alan McManus 13-7 in the second round[7] before losing 13-9 to Stephen Lee in his quarter-final.[8]
Although he regained a top 16 position for 2004/2005 after a consistent 2003/2004 season, he only spent one season back in the top 16, dropping down to #22 after a less successful season in 2005-2006.[9]
However, he had a good 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 17-16. In that match, Fu was 15-9 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.[10] Fu's success in this tournament can be largely attributed to working with coach Terry Griffiths. Marco had used Griffiths for a short while some years ago - but did not commit to the necessary changes in technique.[2]
2006-07 was not hugely successful. He skipped the UK Championship [11] 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 10-3 to Anthony Hamilton in the first round,[12] a defeat that saw Fu start the 2007/2008 season ranked 27th in the world - a drop of five places.[11]
Nine years after his first appearance in a ranking final at the 1998 Grand Prix, Fu won the 2007 Royal London Watches Grand Prix — his first ever victory in a ranking event. After defeating the reigning World Champion John Higgins in the first knockout round 5-4, Liu Song 5-0 in the quarter-final and Gerard Greene 6-5 in the semi-final, he faced Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final.[13] After falling 4-3 behind at the mid-session interval, he went on to win 9-6, with a break of 76 in the final frame.[14] Previously, Fu’s biggest title has been the invitational Hasseroder Premier League which he captured in 2003, beating Mark Williams 9-5 in the final in Sunderland. This was the first time the title went outside of the British Isles.[15]
Fu is a prolific break-builder.[16] He achieved his highest break of 147 in 2000 at the Regal Scottish Masters[2] and has compiled 147 competitive century breaks during his career.[17] He qualified for the 2008 World Championship, with a 10-3 win over Alan McManus [18]. He played China's Ding Junhui in the first round of 2008 World Championship, and it was a empatic fight, which he unfortunately lost 10-9.[19]
[edit] Records
Fu currently holds 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 Snooker Championship held in Telford, England. Fu eventually lost the match 9-7. [20]
[edit] Tournament Wins
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Snooker | |||
| Asian Games | |||
| Gold | 1998 Bangkok | Team | |
| Gold | 2002 Busan | Team | |
| Silver | 2002 Busan | Doubles | |
| Silver | 2006 Doha | Doubles | |
| Silver | 2006 Doha | Team | |
[edit] Ranking Tournaments
[edit] Non Ranking Tournaments
- Snooker Premier League - 2003
[edit] Links
[edit] References
- ^ a b World Snooker profile for Marco Fu
- ^ a b c d e Janie Watkins (2005). Player Profile: Marco Fu. The Global Snooker Centre. Retrieved on 2007-04-21.
- ^ Squat Issue 2.5 - Marco Fu Q&A
- ^ a b c Snooker Player Profiles: Marco Fu. Sporting Life. Retrieved on April 21, 2007.
- ^ WWW Snooker: Regal Welsh Open 2003 results
- ^ Phil Harlow (2003). O'Sullivan stunned by qualifier. BBC Sport. Retrieved on May 5, 2008.
- ^ Dan Warren (2003). Fu charges into quarters. BBC Sport. Retrieved on May 5, 2008.
- ^ Dan Warren (2003). Lee brushes past Fu. BBC Sport. Retrieved on May 5, 2008.
- ^ The Global Snooker Centre: 2005-6 Main Tour Two Year Rankings
- ^ World Snooker - Marco Fu. Sporting Life. Retrieved on April 21, 2007.
- ^ a b The Global Snooker Centre: 2006-7 Main Tour - Final Rankings Gained 0 points for the UK Championship
- ^ BBC Sport Snooker: Hamilton eases past below-par Fu
- ^ Global Cue Sports Centre: 2007 Royal London Watches Grand Prix Stage 2 Results
- ^ BBC Sport: Grand Prix final result. BBC Sport (2007). Retrieved on October 21, 2007.
- ^ Chris Turner (2006). Premier / Matchroom League. Retrieved on April 21, 2007.
- ^ John Parrott (2001). John Parrott's Player Profiles. BBC Sport. Retrieved on April 21, 2007.
- ^ Chris Turner's Snooker Archive: Snooker's Top Century Makers (2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-21.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Ding edges Fu in dramatic finale. BBC Sport (2008). Retrieved on May 5, 2008.
- ^ Selby into semis after epic frame. BBC Sport (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
