Hossein Vafaei Player Profile
Hossein Vafaei Stats
Date of birth: 15 October, 1994
Nationality: Iran
First turned professional: 2012
Highest ranking: 15
Ranking titles: 1
Triple Crown titles: 0
Crucible best: last 16
Masters appearances: 1
147 breaks: 1
SHQ Stars:
★★★
Summary
Nicknamed the Prince of Persia, Hossein Vafaei has technically been a professional on the Main Tour since 2012.
But his early years on the circuit were blighted by visa issues, and he barely hit a ball in anger on the pro circuit until 2015.
By that point, the Iranian had already announced himself as a genuine talent with strong displays in various international amateur events.
Vafaei won the IBSF World Amateur Championship in 2011 and a year later added the Asian Under-21 Championship crown.
In 2014, there was victory in the World Under-21 Championship and the then 19 year-old’s 147 during the tournament provided another glimpse into what potentially lay ahead.
With visa concerns related to travel eventually sorted – for the most part at least – Vafaei started to finally express himself on the Main Tour during the 2016/17 campaign.
He reached the quarter-finals of the Northern Ireland Open and later the last four of the China Open.
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Vafaei’s performances helped him to rise into the top 64 of the world rankings for the first time.
But while he managed to show flashes of his pedigree in the following years, he wasn’t able to gain the momentum needed to make the push up to the higher echelons.
Fast-forward to the 2021/22 term and Vafaei still hadn’t broken into the top 32, but all of that was soon to change.
Runs to the last 16 of the British Open and the prestigious UK Championship boosted his confidence, and not long after he was a ranking event champion.
Vafaei produced clinical snooker to claim the short-format Shoot Out crown, beating Mark Williams in the final.
By the end of that term, he had elevated his ranking to just outside the top 16 – a milestone he looks imminently set to crack.
A first ranking event winner from Iran, Vafaei has been an important figure in promoting the sport in newer territories.
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Ranking Event Victories
- 2022 Snooker Shoot Out
Other Notable Victories
- N/A
Featured photo credit: WST
Hossein Vafaei Player Profile
SHQ Stars: How it works
| Rating | SHQ Stars | Career Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Black | ★★★★★★★ | multiple world champion; 30+ ranking titles; career triple crown; world no.1 (at least 3) |
| Pink | ★★★★★★ | world champion; 10+ ranking titles; multiple winner of triple crown events; member of top 2; 15+ seasons in top 16 (at least 3) |
| Blue | ★★★★★ | winner of triple crown event; 5+ ranking titles; member of top 4; 12+ seasons in top 16 (at least 2) |
| Brown | ★★★★ | 2+ ranking titles; member of top 8; triple crown event finalist; 8+ seasons in the top 16 (at least 2) |
| Green | ★★★ | ranking title; member of top 16 (at least 1) |
| Yellow | ★★ | member of top 64 |
| Red | ★ | professional |
