Liang Wenbo Player Profile
Liang Wenbo Stats
Date of birth: 25 March, 1987
Nationality: China
First turned professional: 2005
Highest ranking: 11
Ranking titles: 1
Triple Crown titles: 0
Crucible best: quarter-final
Masters appearances: 3
147 breaks: 3
SHQ Stars:
★★★
Summary
Liang Wenbo qualified to compete on the Main Tour as a professional on the back of his success at the 2005 IBSF World Under-21 Championship.
Still a teenager at the time, he quickly gained a reputation as being the second best product of China’s new boom, behind only Ding Junhui.
Liang rose quickly up the rankings list, and it took him only a handful of years before he joined the elite top 16 for the first time in 2010.
Before that, he had already announced himself to a wider audience with an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the 2008 World Snooker Championship.
A year later, Liang reached the final of the Shanghai Masters where he came up just short in a 10-5 reverse to Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Over the next few years he struggled with inconsistency and temperament issues, though.
MORE PLAYER PROFILES:
There were glimpses of the talent he had at his disposal – none more so than at the 2015 UK Championship when he embarked on a run to the final only to be denied glory in a Triple Crown event by Neil Robertson.
Everything then finally fell perfectly into place at the English Open less than 12 months later.
In the inaugural staging of the new Home Nations tournament, Liang beat former world champions Graeme Dott, Shaun Murphy, and Stuart Bingham en route to the title decider.
Known as the Firecracker for an explosive persona and his unpredictability on the baize, he subsequently overcame Judd Trump to secure a maiden ranking title – memorably jumping with elation upon sinking the winning balls.
Liang wasn’t able to carry this success forward, briefly rejoining the top 16 before immediately dropping out of the bracket again.
Yet there were other special moments in his career, notably at the World Cup alongside Ding, a tournament the pair won in both 2011 and 2017.
Unfortunately, Liang’s reputation was damaged in 2022 upon revelations of a domestic assault which brought criminal charges.
He was then found guilty in 2023 of being a leader of a widespread match-fixing ring involving Chinese players.
Liang was handed a lifetime ban from the sport as his tenure on the main tour came to a disgraceful end.
Click here for the latest news on Liang Wenbo
Ranking Event Victories
- 2016 English Open
Other Notable Victories
- Minor ranking events (2013 Zhengzhou Open)
- World Cup (2011, 2017)
- Beijing International Challenge (2009)
Featured photo credit: WST
Liang Wenbo 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 |
