Snooker was traditionally viewed as a male-only game. Female players were often considered 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 Wuthharuthai won the event. She is believed by be the first female to break 147. She was born in 1999, and is already eligible to compete on the professional World Snooker Tour next season.
Chitra Krishnamurthy (Asian lady snooker) is another Asian player. She became the first Indian woman to win the Australian Open Snooker Championship in 2008. She also won in 2011 the six-red Snooker Championship. Her debut appearance in 2014 at the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships marked her second appearance. She also reached the finals of the Eden World Ladies Senior Championships.
Reanne Evans is the number one female snooker player in the world. She has won ten international titles and is the current world champion. She has been invited wildcard to play on the men's touring in 2010/11. For her contributions to snooker, she was also awarded an MBE.
Reanne Evans was a West Midlands native. Reanne Evans started playing pool when she was 14 years old and has been a professional player of snooker ever since. She has also won eight billiards, and ball pool titles. She holds the World Pool Championship title. She has also won the European Masters and is the most successful female player in the UK.
Evans, then seven-and-a half months pregnant, won 2006 the ladies world title. She was also the first woman to make it to the main stages of a ranking tournament. She qualified for the televised stages of the Wuxi Classic in China, and beat Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-4 in a qualifying match.
Evans has been the world number 1 for the past 10 years. She has won ten titles around the world and was awarded an MBE in recognition of her contribution to snooker. She was also invited to the professional tour as a wildcard for the 2010/11 season. She will be competing in the UK's final stages of the World Ranking Event. She will face Neil Robertson, the world number two.
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. According to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), there are no barriers for women in snooker. Two women are currently ranked in top 30 of the world rankings for men. 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 and other countries, and Mike Dominguez, owner of OX Billiards in Seattle, hopes to get the sport to grow in the U.S.