Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional who spent more than a decade among the world’s elite, reaching multiple major finals and winning the UK Championship and the Masters while climbing as high as number four in the world rankings.
Matthew Stevens – Career Snapshot
| Date of birth: | 11 September 1977 |
| From: | Wales |
| Turned professional: | 1994 |
| Highest world ranking: | No. 4 |
| Ranking titles: | 1 |
| World Championship titles: | 0 |
| Triple Crown titles: | 2 |
| Masters appearances: | 11 |
| Maximum 147 breaks: | 1 |
Matthew Stevens’s Snooker Career
Matthew Stevens turned professional in 1994 and quickly emerged as one of the most reliable long-format performers of his generation. He first caught widespread attention at the 1997 UK Championship where he reached the semi-finals, signalling the start of a prolonged spell competing deep into the latter stages of the sport’s biggest events.
Between his Crucible debut in 1998 and his breakthrough ranking success in 2003, Stevens was a near ever-present in the latter rounds of the World Championship and the UK Championship. During the 1999/2000 season, he established himself as a winner by claiming the Scottish Masters invitational.
Although he lost two UK Championship finals in 1998 and 1999, Stevens soon enjoyed his greatest invitational success by defeating Ken Doherty 10-8 to win the Masters in 2000. Just months later, he reached his first World Championship final, where Mark Williams denied him in a dramatic 18-16 encounter at the Crucible Theatre.
Despite repeated near-misses, Stevens eventually claimed his sole ranking title at the 2003 UK Championship, producing a standout performance to defeat Stephen Hendry in the final. That victory remains the defining ranking achievement of his career.
He returned to the World Championship final in 2005 but was beaten by qualifier Shaun Murphy, continuing a frustrating pattern in which major finals often slipped away. In total, Stevens lost seven of his eight ranking finals, a record that belied his sustained presence at the top end of the game.
Those consistent runs helped Stevens reach a career-high ranking of number four in the world. However, in the years that followed, he was unable to recapture the same level of form and gradually slipped away from the elite group he had once regularly challenged.
Matthew Stevens’s Ranking Titles
Matthew Stevens won 1 ranking title during his professional career.
| Year | Tournament |
|---|---|
| 2003 | UK Championship |
Other Major Titles and Notable Wins
- Masters (2000)
- Scottish Masters (1999)
- Northern Ireland Trophy (2005)
- Championship League (2011)
- Pot Black (2005)
- Belgian Masters (1996)
- Nations Cup (1999)
Matthew Stevens and the Triple Crown
Matthew Stevens won two Triple Crown titles during his professional career, lifting the Masters trophy in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003.
- World Championship: 0 titles
- UK Championship: 1 title (2003)
- Masters: 1 title (2000)
SHQ Star Rating: ★★★★★
SnookerHQ uses a seven-point star scale based on the scoring values of snooker balls, with a black (7) representing the highest career classification. Ratings are assigned using career achievements, longevity, and historical impact.
Matthew Stevens: ★★★★★
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Featured photo credit: WST