Hoseein Vafaei is set to break new ground when he becomes the first Iranian player to compete at the World Snooker Championship. The 27-year-old prevailed in a tight qualifying match with Chinese star Lei Peifan 10-9 to etch his name into the history books.
During the match, Vafaei made six half-century breaks, including a clearance of 54 and took advantage of a mistake by his opponent while trailing by 61 in the final frame. The snooker star, who is also the first Iranian to become a professional player, was delighted with his latest achievement and explained his unique method to try and calm his nerves.
"I'm so happy I have made my people proud," said Vafaei. "I was so nervous today, all of my body was shaking. I was eating a lot of chocolate to try to calm myself down but it wasn't working.
"I forgot how to hold the cue. I promise I will play better than that at the Crucible, I can't wait to get there. I hope this will inspire more people back home and make them start playing snooker, and make it as big as I can."
With Vafaei’s qualification, 20 nations have now been represented in the 95 years the event has been held. However, only three non-British players have won the world title - Australia's Neil Robertson, Ireland's Ken Doherty and Canada's Cliff Thorburn.
Once the qualifying rounds have concluded, the tournament will begin on April 16 at the Crucible. Meanwhile, world No.16 Stephen Maguire has demanded the tournament be moved elsewhere in future.
The likes of Neil Robertson, Judd Trump, and Shaun Murphy have also suggested officials should search for a new place to host the tournament. Maguire - the 2004 UK champion - who suggested his height was an issue at the building - even has a replacement venue in mind.
"I’m not slagging the Crucible, but I’m not the biggest fan of the Crucible, I think it’s small," Maguire told The Metro. "I’ve said that from day one when I qualified, it’s very small and it takes a bit to get used to.
"I’m tall, I like a walk in and you don’t get the walk in. But it is special, it’s got a special atmosphere on top of that, so it’s kind of 50-50. I would move it, yeah, I would. I think Ally Pally [Alexandra Palace] has made itself our best venue by probably a good distance."
