Stephen Maguire

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Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox snooker player

Stephen Maguire (born 13 March 1981) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won seven major ranking tournaments, including the 2004 UK Championship, and has twice since reached the finals of that event. Maguire turned professional in 1998 after winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship. He was in the top 16 of the snooker world rankings for 11 consecutive years, from 2005 to 2016, twice reaching world no. 2. He is a prolific break-builder, having compiled over 500 century breaks, including three maximums.

Career

Early career

Maguire turned professional as a snooker player in 1998.<ref name="wpbs_Step">Template:Cite web</ref> He qualified for the 1999 UK Championship, where he was defeated 2–9 by Mark King in the first round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He played in qualifying for the 2000 World Championship, defeating Wayne Brown, Nick Walker and Bradley Jones to reach the final qualifying round, where he lost 9–10 to Joe Swail.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Maguire qualified again for the 2002 UK Championship, going on to defeat Fergal O'Brien 9–4 in the first round, before losing 7–9 to Ken Doherty in the second.<ref name="Snooker.org">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Two years later, Maguire reached the final of his first world ranking event, the 2004 European Open. Ranked 41st in the world, he defeated Peter Ebdon and Joe Perry (both 5–4), John Higgins 5–3 and Stephen Lee 6–4 to meet Jimmy White in the final.<ref name=Yates6Mar04>Template:Cite news</ref> He then defeated White 9–3 to win the championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The BBC described Maguire as a "surprising winner",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and he admitted to being "very surprised how badly everybody has played against me here".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2004 World Championship later that season, he qualified for the 32-player competition for the first time. He lost 6–10 in the opening round to Ronnie O'Sullivan, who admitted to being impressed by Maguire's performance and tipped him to be a future world champion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The following season at the 2004 British Open, Maguire defeated O'Sullivan 6–1 in the semi-finals to reach his second ranking event final. This led to O'Sullivan claiming that he had "never seen anything like that on a snooker table before" and also rated Maguire as "probably the best [player] in the world at the moment".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Maguire met John Higgins in the final, but lost 6–9.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2004–2009: UK Championship winner (2004)

At the 2004 UK Championship, Maguire defeated Mark King, Mark Davis, Stephen Lee, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Steve Davis en route to the final, where he defeated David Gray 10–1.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Players praised the quality of play that Maguire had produced to win his first Triple Crown event. Davis described him as "inspired",<ref name="york_Davi">Template:Cite web</ref> while O'Sullivan suggested that he could "rule the game for the next ten years".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the first round of the 2005 World Championship, Maguire led O'Sullivan 9–7 but lost the match 9–10.<ref name="news_BBCS">Template:Cite web</ref> At the end of the season he moved from 24th to 3rd in the world rankings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During the 2005–06 snooker season, Maguire only reached one quarter-final, at the 2006 Malta Cup where he lost 4–5 against Ken Doherty.<ref name="WPBSA draw">Template:Cite web</ref> He won his first-round match at the 2006 World Championship, but lost to Marco Fu 4–13 in the second round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, at the 2007 World Championship the following year, he defeated Joe Perry, Joe Swail and Anthony Hamilton to reach the semi-finals.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He played John Higgins and led 14–10, but lost seven out of the next eight Template:Cuegloss to lose 15–17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Maguire won the ranking Northern Ireland Trophy in November 2007, defeating Fergal O'Brien 9–5 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His second Triple Crown final came at the 2007 UK Championship. He defeated Joe Swail, Ian McCulloch, Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy to reach the final, where he was defeated by Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–2.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2008 China Open, Maguire compiled his second maximum break against Ryan Day in the semi-finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won the match 6–5 and then beat Murphy in the final 10–9 on a Template:Cuegloss to win the title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the quarter-final stage of the 2008 World Championship, but lost in another final-frame decider (12–13) to Joe Perry. He ended the 2007–08 season ranked world number two.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He retained this position going into the 2009–10 season,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> after reaching the semi-finals of both the Shanghai Masters and the UK Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2009–2012: PTC Champion (2011/12)

Maguire began the 2009–10 season by winning the first event of the Pro Challenge Series, defeating Alan McManus 5–2 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He followed this by reaching the semi-finals at the UK Championship by defeating Michael Holt 9–6 in the first round, Stuart Bingham 9–3 in the second round, and Peter Lines 9–5 in the quarter-finals, before losing to Ding Junhui 5–9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the invitational Masters event in January, he beat Mark King 6–3 in the first round and Ryan Day 6–1 in the quarter-finals, but lost 3–6 in the semi-finals against Mark Selby.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also reached the semi-final stage at the Welsh Open, beating Dominic Dale 5–4 in the first round, Barry Hawkins 5–1 in the second round, and Mark Williams 5–1 in the quarter-finals, but he lost 3–6 against defending champion Ali Carter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Maguire made a poor start to the 2011–12 season, with first-round exits at the opening two ranking events of the year, the Australian Goldfields Open and the Shanghai Masters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He defeated Stephen Hendry and John Higgins at the UK Championship to set up a quarter-final with world number seven Judd Trump, but lost the match 3–6.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He made three century breaks during the tournament, including a 144, which was the highest of the event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Stephen Maguire at German Masters Snooker Final (DerHexer) 2012-02-05 10.jpg
Maguire playing in the 2012 German Masters final against Ronnie O'Sullivan

In January 2012, Maguire won his first tournament carrying ranking points for almost four years, at PTC Event 12 in Germany. After beating Joe Perry 4–2 in the final, he stated that he had not practised at all over the Christmas period.<ref name="PTC12">Template:Cite web</ref> The result meant that he finished eighth in the Order of Merit and qualified for the 2012 Finals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He exited the Masters in the first round for the second successive year following a 4–6 defeat to Mark Williams.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He reached the final of the 2012 German Masters, whitewashing both Higgins and Murphy en route. He lost the final 7–9 against O'Sullivan, despite making three consecutive century breaks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the PTC Finals, Maguire was whitewashed 0–4 in the semi-finals by Neil Robertson.<ref name="11/12">Template:Cite web</ref>

After a quarter-final run in the Welsh Open and a first-round defeat in the World Open, Maguire competed in the China Open.<ref name="11/12"/> He had wins over O'Sullivan and Stephen Lee on his way to the final, where he played Peter Ebdon. Maguire trailed 1–5 before winning seven of the next ten frames to level the match at 8–8, forcing a deciding frame which Ebdon won.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2012 World Championship, Maguire defeated Luca Brecel 10–5 in the first round, Joe Perry 13–7 in the second, and Stephen Hendry 13–2 in the quarter-finals with a Template:Cuegloss.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He unwittingly became Hendry's last opponent, as the seven-time world champion retired immediately after the match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Maguire lost his semi-final 12–17 to Ali Carter,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and finished the season ranked world number four, meaning he had climbed four places during the year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2012–2015: Welsh Open Champion (2013)

Maguire lost in the first round of the opening ranking event of the new season with a 4–5 defeat to Rod Lawler at the Wuxi Classic and then could not advance out of his group in the Six-red World Championship.<ref name="2012/13">Template:Cite web</ref> His results soon picked up, as he won the second PTC title of his career at the UK PTC Event 1 by beating Jack Lisowski 4–3 in the final. He stated after the win that he was going to put a greater emphasis on his Template:Cuegloss play this season.<ref>Template:Cite web </ref> Maguire's form continued as he reached his second consecutive PTC Event final, but this time he lost 3–4 to Martin Gould.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then lost in the second round of three consecutive ranking events and the first round of both the Masters and the German Masters.<ref name="2012/13" />

File:Stephen Maguire at Snooker German Masters (DerHexer) 2013-01-30 07.jpg
Stephen Maguire at 2013 German Masters

In February 2013, Maguire won his first ranking event title in over five years at the Welsh Open.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BBC21492076>Template:Cite news</ref> He defeated Anthony Hamilton, Matthew Stevens, Alan McManus and Judd Trump to face Stuart Bingham in the final.<ref name="2012/13"/> He came back from 5–7 down and eventually won the match with a composed 82 break in the deciding frame to triumph 9–8.<ref name=BBC21492076 /> He lost 4–5 to Ricky Walden in the second round of the World Open and, despite finishing third on the PTC Order of Merit to qualify for the Finals, was beaten 3–4 by Joe Swail in the first round.<ref name="2012/13"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Maguire cruised into the semi-finals of the China Open by seeing off Michael Holt 5–3 and Barry Hawkins and Bingham both 5–1. He played Neil Robertson and led 4–2, but went on to lose 5–6.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He faced world number 67 Dechawat Poomjaeng in the opening round of the 2013 World Championship and became part of "one of the biggest shocks" in the recent history of the tournament as he lost 9–10 to the "charismatic Thai" player.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Maguire's first ranking event of the 2013–14 season was the Shanghai Masters, where he was defeated 2–5 by Xiao Guodong in the opening round.<ref name="2013/14">Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Indian Open and fought back from 0–3 down against home favourite Aditya Mehta to level at 3–3 but lost the deciding frame.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the UK Championship, Maguire came back from 2–5 down against Luca Brecel in the second round to win 6–5 and also edged past Liang Wenbo 6–5, before beating John Higgins 6–3.<ref name="2013/14"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He lost 2–6 to Neil Robertson in the quarter-finals, with the Australian criticising the playing condition of the snooker table as "absolute garbage" after the match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Maguire defeated both Joe Perry 6–4 and Robertson 6–2 at the Masters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He faced O'Sullivan in the semi-finals but lost to the reigning world champion 6–2.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He won three matches to reach the last 16 of the Welsh Open, but relinquished his title by losing 3–4 to 19-year-old Joel Walker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then lost in the first round of the next two ranking events and withdrew from the China Open to enter the 2014 World Championship in poor form.<ref name="2013/14"/> Maguire produced a comeback from 3–6 and 6–9 down against Ryan Day to send the first-round match into a deciding frame but, despite having a chance to win, he lost 9–10. Afterwards, he described it as "a season from hell for me" and "I just want to forget it".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He ended the season as world number 14.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2014, Maguire whitewashed Judd Trump 5–0 to reach the quarter-finals of the Wuxi Classic where he lost 4–5 against Martin Gould, despite making the tournament's highest break of 145.<ref name="2014/15">Template:Cite web</ref> Three months later, he won the Six-red World Championship, defeating Ricky Walden 8–7 in the final.<ref name="2014 six-red">Template:Cite web</ref> However, he failed to advance beyond the second round in the three major ranking events following Wuxi. After losing 1–4 to Trump in the opening round of the Champion of Champions, Maguire hinted at retiring from the game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When he came back from 0–3 down against Yu Delu to win 6–4 in the second round of the UK Championship, he remarked that he might seek the help of a sports psychologist in the future.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then beat Mark Williams 6–2, David Morris 6–3 and Marco Fu 6–4 to play in his first major ranking event semi-final in over a year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He again faced Trump and lost the first four frames, as well as being 1–5 behind. Maguire pulled the deficit back to a single frame and had chances to send the match into a deciding frame, but went Template:Cuegloss when escaping a snooker on the colours and lost 4–6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A week later, Maguire continued his resurgence of form to win the inaugural Lisbon Open, defeating Matthew Selt 4–2 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the German Masters, he stated that he had regained his confidence and it would take "something special to stop him".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He needed two snookers in the deciding frame of his quarter-final match with Neil Robertson, which he managed after Robertson accidentally potted the black.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In his second consecutive ranking event semi-final, Maguire was defeated 2–6 by Mark Selby.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He advanced to the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open without facing a top-16 player, and lost 1–5 to John Higgins.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2015, Maguire qualified for the televised stages of the World Championship for a 12th straight year courtesy of Selby defeating Robert Milkins in the China Open, which kept Maguire in the top 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the opening round of the World Championship, he forced a deciding frame after having been 5–9 down to Anthony McGill, but then lost the decider. This was the fourth time in five seasons that Maguire had lost in the last 32 of the World Championship, and on each occasion he exited 9–10 having trailed and levelled the match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His end-of-season ranking of world number 15 was the lowest he had been in 11 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2015–2018: Decline in form

Maguire and teammate John Higgins lost in the final of the 2015 Snooker World Cup to Chinese teenagers Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Maguire then reached the semi-finals of the first ranking event of the year by thrashing Judd Trump 5–1 at the Australian Goldfields Open, but he lost 1–6 to Martin Gould.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He began his fourth-round match against Neil Robertson with a 118 break, but it was the only frame he could win in a 1–6 defeat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the German Masters 1–5 by Graeme Dott and the first round of both the Welsh Open (3–4 to Martin O'Donnell) and the World Grand Prix (0–4 to Higgins).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He failed to qualify for the PTC Finals after finishing 42nd on the European Order of Merit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This meant that Maguire needed a strong run at the China Open to avoid having to qualify for the 2016 World Championship at the end of the season. He achieved this with four wins to the China Cup semi-finals, but he was then whitewashed 6–0 by Trump.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite his automatic qualification for the World Championship, Maguire stated that he felt embarrassed at being unable to motivate himself for the event, after losing 7–10 to Alan McManus in the first round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His 18th-place campaign was the first time that Maguire finished outside of the top 16 since 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Maguire beat Barry Hawkins to make the quarter-finals of the Indian Open where he lost 1–4 to Anthony McGill. He made a 147 and two other centuries in his 5–0 wildcard win over Xu Yichen at the Shanghai Masters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then whitewashed Shaun Murphy 5–0 and defeated Hawkins 5–3 and Michael White 5–1 to reach the semi-finals, where he lost 3–6 to Ding Junhui.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He lost 3–6 to Luca Brecel in the fourth round of the UK Championship and was then defeated 1–5 against Mark Selby in the quarter-finals of the China Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Maguire was unable to break back into the top 16 during the season and so needed to win three matches to qualify for the 2017 World Championship. Victories followed over Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn, Nigel Bond and Li Hang and he faced McGill in the opening round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2–2, Maguire scored 447 points without reply and went on to triumph 10–2 in his first match win at the Crucible since 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then thrashed Rory McLeod 13–3 with a session to spare to reach the quarter-finals and came from 1–5 down to draw level with Barry Hawkins at 6–6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, from 9–9 Maguire lost four frames in a row to be beaten 9–13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Maguire's form continued to improve in the 2017–18 season. He reached the final of the Riga Masters in June, but lost 2–5 to Ryan Day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December, with wins over Yuan Sijun, Jak Jones, Liang Wenbo, Graeme Dott, and Joe Perry, Maguire advanced to the semi-finals of the UK Championship again, but was defeated 4–6 by the eventual champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Shortly after the UK Championship, he reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Open but lost 2–5 against Judd Trump.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February, Maguire progressed to the semi-finals of another ranking event, this time at the World Grand Prix, but lost 4–6 to O'Sullivan despite leading 4–2.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He qualified for the 2018 World Championship after beating Allan Taylor, Hammad Miah, and Hossein Vafaei, and faced Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round. Despite leading 4–0 and 6–3, Maguire lost seven of the next eight frames in the second session and eventually lost 7–10.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2018–present: Tour Championship winner (2020)

Maguire made a strong start to the 2018–19 season; with wins against Joe Perry and Kyren Wilson, he reached the semi-finals of the Riga Masters but lost 1–5 to Jack Lisowski.<ref name="snoo_Kasp">Template:Cite web</ref> In October, he advanced to the semi-finals of another ranking event, the English Open, but this time lost 3–6 to Stuart Bingham.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He performed fairly well at the UK Championship where he progressed to the quarter-finals, but was beaten 1–6 by Mark Allen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After strong performances over the past two seasons, Maguire returned to the Masters for the first time since 2015; however, he was outscored 712–190 by his opponent Mark Selby and lost 2–6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached his third semi-final of the season at the German Masters in February, but was defeated by Kyren Wilson 6–1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2019 World Championship, Maguire won both of his first two rounds against Tian Pengfei and James Cahill, the latter ending in a final-frame decider, but was unable to replicate the same feat against Judd Trump in the quarter-finals, losing 6–13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2019, Maguire won the Six-red World Championship for the second time, after beating his fellow countryman John Higgins 8–6 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December, he reached the final of the UK Championship for the third time, his first appearance in the final since 2007. Despite losing the first four frames to his opponent, Ding Junhui, Maguire managed to recover to 3–5 at the end of the first session. In the second session, after making back-to-back centuries, he was only 6–8 behind but lost two more frames and the match 6–10.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The highlight of the extended 2019–20 season for Maguire was the Tour Championship in June, where he beat Mark Allen 10–6 in the final, to secure the £150,000 winner's prize and his first ranking event title since 2013.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2020 World Championship, he was defeated 3–10 by Martin Gould.<ref name="uk.n_O'Su">Template:Cite web</ref> Maguire began 2021 with a win over Mark Selby at the Masters, before a 5–6 loss to eventual champion Yan Bingtao.<ref name="bbc._Yanb">Template:Cite news</ref>

At the 2022 Masters, Maguire was beaten in the first round by Mark Selby 3Template:Nbnd6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2022 World Championship, Maguire beat rival Shaun Murphy in the first round 10Template:Nbnd8.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He went on to reach the quarter-final where he lost heavily to Ronnie O'Sullivan 5Template:Nbnd13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the 2024 World Championship, Maguire beat Ali Carter 10Template:Nbnd7 in the first round<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Shaun Murphy 13Template:Nbnd9 in the last 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the quarter-final he lost 8Template:Nbnd13 to David Gilbert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the 2025 Championship League, Maguire beat Joe O'Connor 3Template:Nbnd1 to win his seventh ranking event, five years after his last.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Rivalry

Maguire has a professional rivalry with Shaun Murphy. In a match at the 2004 Grand Prix, Murphy was involved in one of Maguire's frames being forfeited. As the match was about to begin, Maguire realised he had forgotten to bring his chalk with him so he asked referee Johan Oomen for permission to leave the arena.<ref name=BBC3714886>Template:Cite web</ref> Murphy spoke to the referee while Maguire was away; the tournament director Mike Ganley was summoned, and he docked Maguire a frame for not being ready to start at the scheduled time.<ref name="rivalry">Template:Cite web</ref> Maguire later won the match 5–2.<ref name=BBC3714886 />

A few weeks later, while playing in the final of the 2004 UK Championship, David Gray forgot to bring his chalk into the arena. However, Maguire allowed Gray to retrieve it without a frame being docked. After beating Murphy in the 2007 Welsh Open, Maguire said, "That put the icing on the cake, but we've always had a rivalry. I dislike him and I think he dislikes me. I try hard to beat everyone, but it would have hurt more if I'd lost to him."<ref name="rivalry" />

Personal life

Maguire is married and has three children.<ref name="WS profile">Template:Cite web</ref> Unlike fellow professionals, he is permitted to play with his collar open and not wear a bow tie in competition because of a neck condition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Maguire was formally detained by Strathclyde Police on 27 August 2009, following allegations that he and countryman Jamie Burnett had colluded to produce a 9–3 victory for Maguire at their clash in the 2008 UK Championship; they were both released without charge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Performance and rankings timeline

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Ranking<ref group="nb">It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season</ref> <ref group="nb" name="AMA">He was an amateur</ref> <ref group="nb" name="UR">New players don't have a ranking</ref> 193 100 52 52 41 24 3 9 10 2 2 6 8 4 5 14 15 18 24 17 16 9 9 24 30 31 27
Ranking tournaments
Championship League Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event RR RR 2R A RR W
Saudi Arabia Masters Tournament Not Held 4R 5R
Wuhan Open Tournament Not Held 3R LQ 3R
English Open Tournament Not Held 2R 1R SF 1R 1R LQ LQ 2R 2R 1R
British Open A A 2R LQ LQ 3R 2R F Tournament Not Held 4R LQ 1R 3R LQ
Xi'an Grand Prix Tournament Not Held 1R 2R
Northern Ireland Open Tournament Not Held 1R 2R 1R 4R 3R 3R 3R QF 1R 2R
International Championship Tournament Not Held 2R 1R 1R LQ 2R 2R 2R 2R Not Held QF LQ SF
UK Championship A A 1R LQ LQ 2R 2R W 3R 3R F SF SF QF QF 2R QF SF 4R 4R SF QF F 3R 3R LQ LQ 1R
Shoot Out Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event A A A A A A 1R A A
Scottish Open<ref group="nb" >The event was called the Players Championship (2003/2004)</ref> A A LQ 2R 1R 1R LQ Tournament Not Held MR Not Held 3R QF 1R 2R 1R QF 2R A 3R
German Masters<ref group="nb">The event was called the German Open (1997/1998)</ref> A NR Tournament Not Held QF F 1R 2R SF QF 1R LQ SF LQ 1R 1R LQ 1R 1R
World Grand Prix Tournament Not Held NR 1R 1R SF 2R 1R DNQ QF DNQ 1R WD
Players Championship<ref group="nb">The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Final (2010/2011–2015/2016)</ref> Tournament Not Held WD SF 1R 1R 2R DNQ DNQ 1R 1R SF DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
Welsh Open A A LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R 2R 2R SF 2R QF SF F QF W 4R QF 1R 2R 2R 1R 4R SF LQ 1R LQ F
World Open<ref group="nb">The event was called the Grand Prix (1997/1998–2000/2001 and 2004/2005–2009/2010) and the LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004)</ref> A A LQ LQ 1R LQ LQ QF 1R RR 2R 1R 2R QF 1R 2R 1R Not Held 1R 2R 2R WD Not Held 3R LQ
Tour Championship Tournament Not Held DNQ W DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
World Championship LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R 1R 2R SF QF QF 2R 1R SF 1R 1R 1R 1R QF 1R QF 1R 1R QF LQ QF LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
Shanghai Masters Tournament Not Held Ranking Event 2R 1R Not Held A A A
Champion of Champions Tournament Not Held QF 1R QF A A A 1R 1R 1R A A A 1R
The Masters LQ A LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ WR 1R SF QF SF SF 1R 1R 1R SF QF 1R A A 1R QF QF 1R A A A
Championship League Tournament Not Held A A SF RR A RR SF RR 2R A RR RR A A A RR A A
Former ranking tournaments
Malta Grand Prix Non-Ranking LQ NR Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters A A LQ LQ LQ NR Not Held NR Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters Non-Ranking Event 2R 1R 1R NH NR Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held NR 3R W QF Tournament Not Held
Bahrain Championship Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Wuxi Classic<ref group="nb" name="WUC">The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009–2009/2010)</ref> Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 1R A QF Tournament Not Held
Australian Goldfields Open Tournament Not Held 1R A A 1R SF Tournament Not Held
Shanghai Masters Tournament Not Held 2R SF 1R 2R 1R 2R 1R 2R 1R SF 3R Non-Ranking Not Held Non-Ranking
Indian Open Tournament Not Held SF A NH QF 1R A Tournament Not Held
China Open<ref group="nb">The event was called the China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)</ref> NR A LQ 1R LQ Not Held LQ 1R 2R W 1R 2R 1R F SF WD 3R SF QF 1R 2R Tournament Not Held
Riga Masters<ref group="nb">The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)</ref> Tournament Not Held Minor-Rank LQ F SF LQ Tournament Not Held
China Championship Tournament Not Held NR 3R 1R 2R Tournament Not Held
Turkish Masters Tournament Not Held 1R Not Held
Gibraltar Open Tournament Not Held MR 2R WD A WD A WD Tournament Not Held
WST Classic Tournament Not Held 2R Not Held
European Masters<ref group="nb" name="EUR">The event was called the Irish Open (1998/1999), the European Open (2001/2002–2003/2004) and the Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)</ref> NH A Not Held 1R LQ W 2R QF 2R NR Tournament Not Held LQ LQ LQ LQ 3R LQ LQ A Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
Scottish Masters A A LQ LQ LQ A Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held QF Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Pot Black Tournament Not Held QF A A Tournament Not Held
Malta Cup<ref group="nb" name="EUR"/> Tournament Not Held Ranking Event RR Tournament Not Held Ranking Event
World Series Berlin Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
World Series Grand Final Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
World Series Prague Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Beijing International Challenge Tournament Not Held F SF Tournament Not Held
Template:Nowrap Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Wuxi Classic<ref group="nb" name="WUC"/> Tournament Not Held A A A QF Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Power Snooker Tournament Not Held A 1R Tournament Not Held
Premier League A A A A A A A A RR A A A A A A A Tournament Not Held
World Grand Prix Tournament Not Held 2R Ranking Event
Shoot Out Tournament Not Held 1R 3R SF 1R 1R A Ranking Event
Romanian Masters Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Six-red World Championship<ref group="nb">The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009) and the Six-red World Grand Prix (2009/2010)</ref> Tournament Not Held A A A NH RR 2R W 2R SF RR 2R W Not Held RR Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
PA / Pro-am Event means an event is/was a pro-am event.

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Career finals

Ranking finals: 15 (7 titles)

Legend
UK Championship (1–2)
Other (6–6)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2004 European Open Template:Flagicon Jimmy White 9–3
Runner-up 1. 2004 British Open Template:Flagicon John Higgins 6–9
Winner 2. 2004 UK Championship Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 10–1
Winner 3. 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy Template:Flagicon Fergal O'Brien 9–5
Runner-up 2. 2007 UK Championship Template:Flagicon Ronnie O'Sullivan 2–10
Winner 4. 2008 China Open Template:Flagicon Shaun Murphy 10–9
Runner-up 3. 2011 Welsh Open Template:Flagicon John Higgins 6–9
Runner-up 4. 2012 German Masters Template:Flagicon Ronnie O'Sullivan 7–9
Runner-up 5. 2012 China Open Template:Flagicon Peter Ebdon 9–10
Winner 5. 2013 Welsh Open Template:Flagicon Stuart Bingham 9–8
Runner-up 6. 2017 Riga Masters Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 2–5
Runner-up 7. 2019 UK Championship (2) Template:Flagicon Ding Junhui 6–10
Winner 6. 2020 Tour Championship Template:Flagicon Mark Allen 10–6
Runner-up 8. 2025 Welsh Open (2) Template:Flagicon Mark Selby 6–9
Winner 7. 2025 Championship League Template:Flagicon Joe O'Connor 3–1

Minor-ranking finals: 6 (3 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2010 Players Tour Championship – Event 1 Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 0–4
Runner-up 2. 2010 MIUS Cup Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 2–4
Winner 1. 2012 FFB Snooker Open Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 4–2
Winner 2. 2012 Players Tour Championship – Event 1 Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 4–3
Runner-up 3. 2012 Template:Nowrap Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 3–4
Winner 3. 2014 Template:Nowrap Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 4–2

Non-ranking finals: 7 (4 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2001 Scottish Masters Qualifying Event Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 0–5
Template:Nowrap 2. 2002 Template:Nowrap Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 2–5
Winner 1. 2003 Template:Nowrap Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 5–1
Runner-up 3. 2009 Beijing International Challenge Template:Flagicon Liang Wenbo 6–7
Winner 2. 2009 Pro Challenge Series – Event 1 Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 5–2
Winner 3. 2014 Six-red World Championship Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 8–7 <ref name="2014 six-red" />
Winner 4. 2019 Six-red World Championship (2) Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname 8–6

Team finals: 2 (1 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Team Partner Template:Nowrap Score
Runner-up 1. 2015 World Cup Scotland John Higgins China B 1–4
Winner 1. 2019 World Cup Scotland John Higgins China B 4–0

Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2000 World Amateur Championship Template:Flagicon Luke Fisher 11–5

References

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