Hossein Vafaei Shines At The 2022 Snooker Shootout
The 27-year-old becomes the first Iranian to win a major snooker tournament.
No longer the “Prince of Persia”, Hossein Vafaei is now the “King of Persia” as the 27-year-old scooped the Snooker Shootout title in Leicester.
The Iranian dominated over the weekend scoring 71 or more in the quarter-final, semi-final and final, toppling the experienced Mark Williams in the final frame after an incredible opening red.
Vafaei didn’t take long to get going.
A 123 break in his round 1 match against Peter Devlin was the highest of the tournament, with his aggressive break building allowing him to sweep aside everyone he came up against.
Vafaei conceded just 112 points over his seven victories and now will see his ranking position sky-rocket as we head towards the World Championships in April.
The Iranian has also booked his place in the Champions of Champions tournament at the end of the year, bringing together the trophy winners of the season.
“I need to believe I am the best player in the world,” Vafaei told the Eurosport cameras at the end of the tournament – if he is to be, then bet365 price him up as 200/1 to win the 2022 World Championship in Sheffield.
As snooker continues to grow across the globe, Hossein Vafaei has written his own chapter for Iran.
