After competing in several International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) tournaments, Ng became the youngest-ever IBSF women's world champion at the age of 19 and successfully defended the title the following year. At the 2015 World Ladies Snooker Championship she defeated Reanne Evans—who had held the title for the previous ten years—in the semi-final and won the title. After losing the final of the same tournament to Evans the following year, Ng regained the title in 2017, defeating Evans 5–4 in the semi-final and overcoming Vidya Pillai 6–5 in the protracted final. In 2018, Ng won the title for a third time and in 2019 she collected her third IBSF World Title.
Ng took up snooker at the age of 13 after being impressed by her father's skill at the game. She has been supported by the Hong Kong Sports Institute since 2010. Her highest break in competition is 139, which she achieved at the 2018 Australian Women's Open.
Early life
Ng was born on 17 November 1990.[1] She grew up in Hong Kong, within the working-class district of Sham Shui Po. She began learning to play snooker at the age of 13 in the snooker hall in which her father worked. He encouraged her to take up the game because she was lacking direction, performing poorly at school, and spending a lot of time playing online games. Ng was impressed by her father's playing ability and attire; she took up the sport and was coached by her father. She started entering tournaments in 2006.[2]
She would practise the sport for between five and six hours daily; in one of her practice routines, Ng would cue through a small ring placed on the table to help assess her accuracy. Her first international tournament was the 2006 IBSF Women's Championship in Amman.[3] In 2007 and 2008, she won the Hong Kong Under-21 Snooker Open Championships, in which she competed against male players.[4][5]
Ng left school at 17 to concentrate on her snooker skills but later returned to studying, and in 2016 gained a Higher Diploma in accounting from the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong.[6][7]
Career
Since 2010, Ng has been supported by the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), where she is an elite sports scholarship athlete.[8][9] In 2015, she was receiving HKD25,000 a month from the HKSI.[10]
2007–2009: IBSF tournament success
Ng's first experience of an international snooker competition was at the 2006 IBSF Women's Championship in Amman, Jordan,[3] where she won three of her eight matches in the qualifying group, winning 13 frames and losing 16.[11]
In the group stage of the 2007 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship, she recorded a 3–0 win over Hasani Armaghan of Iran[12] and a 3–1 win over Arantxa Sanchis but lost 0–3 to Bi Zhu Qing.[13] She also achieved 3–0 wins over Ramona Belmont of New Zealand,[14] and Aakanksha Singh[15] and Keerath Bhandaal from India, the latter of whom was aged 11.[15][16] In the semi-final, Ng won the first frame against her opponent Belmont, who took the next one. Ng won the following two frames to face Bi Zhu Qing in the final, in whish Ng lost the first two frames then equalised the score to 2–2 before losing the last two frames. Bi won the match 4–2.[a][17]
In the qualifying group for the 2009 IBSF World Snooker Championship, Ng lost 2–3 to Ramona Belmont, whom she had defeated twice in the 2007 under-21 championship,[19] and then bested Anuja Chandra 3–1[20] and Yu Ching Ching 4–2.[21] In the last-16 round, Ng was trailing 0–2 to Yu Ching Ching but won four frames in a row to win the match 4–2.[22] In the semi-finals, Ng faced Belmont and prevailed 4–3, having led 2–0 before falling behind 2–3.[5] In the final, Ng produced some impressive long potting and defeated Kathy Parashis, a 10-time winner of the Australian Open, 5–1. When Ng was leading 3–1, the players were summoned to drug tests and returned to take the remaining frame she required to win the match, becoming the youngest-ever IBSF women's champion at the age of 19.[b][23][24][25]
Ng was omitted from the Hong Kong squad for the 2009 East Asian Games, which were held in Hong Kong soon after her victory in the IBSF World Championship, because she was unable to attend the team training camp.[26]
2010–2011: Second IBSF world title
At the 2010 Asian Games, Ng won the gold medal as a member of the women's six-red snooker team, along with So Man Yan and Jaique Ip.[27] She also won a bronze medal for reaching the semi-finals in the six-red singles competition.[28][29] She lost 3–4 to Chen Siming in the semi-finals of the individual competition.[30]
On 15 December 2010, Ng successfully defended her IBSF World Snooker Championship title in Syria, defeating compatriot Jaique Ip 5–0 in the final.[31][32] Having won the first three frames comfortably, Ng won the last two frames on the black ball.[33] On her way to the final, Ng won all six of her matches in the qualifying group without losing a frame.[33] She then defeated Eslami Taherh 4–0 in the last 16, Anuja Chandra 4–3 in the quarter-finals—the only match in which Ng lost any frames—and Vidya Pillai 4–0 in the semi-finals.[33] Ng reached the quarter-final of the 2011 WLBSA World Championship, losing 1–4 to eventual winner Reanne Evans.[34]
Having won the previous two IBSF world championships, in 2009 and 2010, Ng topped her qualifying group in 2012 by winning all four matches.[37] She then progressed by defeating Arantxa Sanchis 4–1 in the last 16, Nicha Pathomekmongkhon 4–2 in the quarter-finals, and Siraphat Chitchomnart 4–2 in the semi-finals. In the final, Ng won only the third frame, losing 1–5 to Wendy Jans.[c][38] In the WLBSA World Championship, Ng won all of her five qualifying group matches but lost in the last 16 to Yu Ching Ching.[39]
In October 2013, Ng won the inaugural IBSF World Six-red snooker Championship in Carlow, Ireland. In the final, her opponent Daria Sirotina failed to score in three of the four frames Ng won to take the title 4–0, the frame scores being 34–0, 43–0, 45–37 and 42–0.[42][43] Ng was also, with So Man Yee, runner-up in the Six-red team event.[43][44] In November of the same year, Ng won the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association (WLBSA) UK Ladies' Championship, defeating Maria Catalano 4–2 in the final.[45][46]
2014: World Championship runner-up
Ng won the WLBSA Southern Classic in February with a victory over Maria Catalano in the final.[45] She was the losing finalist in the WLBSA World Championship, losing 0–6 to Reanne Evans[47] after winning 3–0 against Laura Evans, 4–2 against Tatjana Vasiljeva and 4–3 against Emma Bonney to reach the final.[48] Ng also reached the semi-finals of the IBSF World Championship, losing 1–4 to Wendy Jans.[49]
2015: Ladies' World Champion
In February 2015, Ng lost 1–5 to Reanne Evans in the final of the Eden Resources Masters tournament.[50]
At the 2015 World Ladies Snooker Championship held in Leeds, England, Ng topped her qualifying group. Three frames were played in each match; Ng won 3–0 wins over Annette Newman, Gaye Jones and Michelle Brown, and had a 2–1 win over Yana Shut. In the last 16, she defeated Anastasia Tumilovich 3–0, and in the quarter-finals bested Emma Cunningham 4–0. In the semi-finals, she faced Reanne Evans, winner of the title in each of the previous ten years. Ng took the first frame 63–51, scoring a break of 44, but then lost the next two frames. A clearance of 33 saw Ng take the fourth frame 53–43 to equalize at 2–2. She then took the lead by winning the fifth frame 84–0 with breaks of 25 and 55. In a close sixth frame, Ng cleared the last four colours to win the frame 51–47 and the match 4–2, ending Evans' decade-long reign as champion.[51][52] Emma Bonney won the first two frames of the final, winning them 59–22 and 68–38. Ng won the scrappy, 47-minute third frame 45–11. The highest break in the fifth frame, which took 46 minutes and 58 seconds, was eight (red, pink, red from Bonney), with Ng taking it 72–20. Ng then made five breaks in the twenties and won the next three frames to become the first new world ladies' champion since Reanne Evans won the first of her ten consecutive titles.[d][51][52]
On 11 August 2015, Ng defeated India's Vidya Pillai 5–2 in the World Ladies Championship final in Karachi, Pakistan, to claim her second IBSF World Six-red women's title. Ng emerged from the qualifying groups in fourth place overall[53] and defeated Arantxa Sanchis 4–0 and Amee Kamani 4–1 to reach the final.[54][55]
2016: World Championship runner-up
Ng reached the final of the 2016 Eden Classic, defeating fellow Hong Kong players Katrina Wan 3–2 and Jaique Ip 4–1 after qualifying for the knockout stages but Ng lost 1–4 to Reanne Evans in the final.[56][57] Ng and her playing partner Katrina Wan Ka Kai won the 2016 World Women's Snooker pairs title by defeating Maria Catalano and Tatjana Vasiljeva 4–1 in the final.[58]
At the 2016 World Ladies Snooker Championship, the top-eight seeds, including defending champion Ng, were placed in the knockout and each faced a qualifier. Ng progressed to the final without losing a frame, besting Laura Evans 3–0, Katrina Wan 4–0, and Rebecca Kenna 4–0. In the final, Reanne Evans took the first frame but Ng won three in a row to go two frames ahead. Evans won the next two frames to equalize at 3–3. Ng then took the seventh frame to lead 4–3. Evans then won three consecutive frames to take the match 6–4 and win the title.[e][59]
Ng won the inaugural Paul Hunter Classic, which was held in Fürth, Germany. After winning all three matches in her qualifying group 3–0, Ng won the deciding frame 4–3 against Irina Gorbataya in the last 16, having trailed 1–3. She progressed through the quarter-finals and semi-finals without losing a frame in either round. Ng won 4–0 over Wendy Jans, during the third frame of which she made the tournament's highest break, a 104. She then defeated Maria Catalano, also 4–0. In the final, Ng took a 2–0 lead against Reanne Evans, who won the third frame. Ng won the next two frames, both of which were closely contested, to win the final 4–1.[62][63]
At the first Asian Billiard Sports Championships, which was held in 2016 in the United Arab Emirates, Ng defeated Arantxa Sanchis 5–1 in the semi-finals and Vidya Pillai 5–1 in the final to gain the title.[64] Ng lost 3–4 to Reanne Evans in the semi-finals of the UK Championship in November,[65] and 1–4 to Wendy Jans in the quarter-final of the IBSF World Snooker Championship later the same month.[66]
2017: Regains World Championship
In 2017, Ng supported the Hong Kong Women's Foundation campaign #MyRealCareerLine, which was set up to tackle sexism and gender inequality at work. She appeared in a YouTube video for the campaign in March 2017.[67][68]
The 2017 World Women's Snooker Championship was held in Singapore, marking the first time in over 20 years the tournament had taken place outside the United Kingdom.[69] The group stage matches were contested as best-of five frames, with all dead frames[f] being played. Ng topped her qualifying group by winning all three of her matches: 4–1 against both Charlene Chai and Chitra Magimairaj, and a 5–0 win against Ronda Sheldreck. In the knockout stage, Ng defeated Pui Ying Mini Chu 4–0 in the last 16 and Waratthanun Sukritthanes 4–3 in the quarter-finals.[70] She then faced defending champion Reanne Evans in the semi-finals, where she won 5–4 after recovering from a 60-points deficit in the deciding frame.[71]
Ng's opponent in the final was Vidya Pillai, the first Indian player to reach the final of the Women's World Championship,[69] and it was the first women's world championship final with two Asian players. Ng won the first two frames of the match before losing the next four. At 2–4 down, she won three consecutive frames for a 5–4 lead before Pillai took the tenth to force a deciding frame[69] that lasted for over an hour.[72] With only the pink and black balls remaining on the table, and the pink lying close to the black which was itself adjacent to one of the corner pockets, Ng fouled and left a free ball. Pillai, who was four points behind, nominated the black but miscued and hit the pink instead, also potting the black. Ng then potted the pink ball to take the frame 66–50, gaining her second world title.[69][73][g]
With a playing time of eight hours and four minutes, the final was the longest 11-frame competitive match in snooker history, significantly exceeding the previous record of 7 hours and 14 minutes that was set at the 1992 UK Snooker Championship.[72] Finishing at 1:30 am local time,[71] it was the first time since 1989 the final of the Women's World Championship had ended in a deciding frame.[72] Because the final took place on the same day as the semi-finals, Ng played for more than 12 hours across the two matches in a single day.[71] Her prize money was £5,000, more than four times the amount awarded to the previous year's winner.[74]
Ng at the final of the 2017 Paul Hunter Women's Classic
Ng was one of only two women competitors in the mixed singles snooker at the 2017 World Games, held in Wrocław, Poland. Ng lost in the deciding frame of her first match 2–3 against Michael Judge.[75] Ng was seeded into the last 16 at the 2017 Paul Hunter Women's Classic in Fürth, Germany; she reached the semi-finals without losing a frame, defeating both Inese Lukashevska and Diana Stateczny 4–0. She then narrowly defeated So Man Yan 4–3 to reach the final, where she lost 1–4 to Reanne Evans, having won only the third frame.[76][77]
2018: Earns top ranking and retains World Championship
On reaching the quarter-finals of the WLBSA British Open in Stourbridge, England, in February 2018, Ng became the first Asian player to top the women's rankings.[78] She progressed to the semi-finals, where she lost 2–4 to Nutcharut Wongharuthai.[79]
Ng successfully defended her world championship title, without conceding a frame, at the 2018 tournament held at St. Paul's Bay, Malta. She had started with low expectations for her performance at the event because she felt unwell and under pressure, and was suffering from loss of form.[80][81] Ng emerged from the qualifying stage with 3–0 wins over Judy Dangerfield, Katarzyna Bialik, and Ronda Sheldreck, and was seeded into the quarter-finals, where she defeated Wendy Jans 4–0. She then defeated Rebecca Kenna 4–0 in her semi-final, winning a place in the final with Maria Catalano, who had defeated Reanne Evans 4–3 in the other semi-final. Ng won 5–0 to gain her third world title.[h][82]
Ng was runner-up in the World Women's 10-Red Championship and the World Women's Six-red Championship, which were both held in Leeds, England, in April 2018. Ng lost in the final of both tournaments to Reanne Evans.[83][84] She then entered 2018 Q School in an attempt to win a place on the professional snooker tour.[85] Ng took the 2018 LITEtask UK Women's Championship title in September, defeating Suzie Opacic 3–2, Ploychompoo Laokiatphong 3–0, and Jaique Ip 4–0. In the final, she defeated Rebecca Kenna 4–1 after losing the first frame.[86]
At the Australian Open, Ng scored a 139 break in the third frame of her semi-final against Nutcharut Wongharuthai; her then-highest break in competition.[87] Having won all of her five qualifying matches 4–0 against Australian opponents, Ng defeated another Australian, Judy Dangerfield, 3–0 in the last 16, Pui Ying Mini Chu 4–0 in the quarter-finals, and Wongharuthai 4–2 in the semi-finals. Ng won the final, defeating Katrina Wan 4–2.[88]
At the IBSF Six-red Women's Snooker Championship in Marsa Alam, Ng was the only player in the women's qualifying groups who did not lose a frame.[89] In the knockout phase, she defeated Thai players Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan 4–2 and Nutcharat Wongharuthai 4–1, before losing the final to another Thai player, Waratthanun Sukritthanes, 2–4.[90][91]
2019: Third IBSF world title
Ng reached the final of the 2019 Belgian Women's Open with wins of 3–0 over Jane O'Neill and Emma Parker, and of 4–3 over Nutcharut Wongharuthai in the semi-finals. She won the first frame of the final against Reanne Evans, but lost the next four to finish as runner-up.[92] She also lost to Evans in the final of the World Women's 10-Red Championship in Leeds, this time 3–4.[93]
Ng lost in the quarter-finals of the Six-red Championship to Wongharuthai, 2–3.[94] She was also defeated by Wongharuthai 4–1 at the quarter-finals stage of the 2019 World Women's Snooker Championship,[95] making 2019 the first year since 2012 that Ng had not reached at least the semi-finals of the tournament.[96] Consequently, she lost the number one position that she had held for 14 months, as Reanne Evans regained the top ranking.[97]
In April 2019, Ng played Alan McManus in the first round of qualifying at the World Snooker Championship – after winning the first two frames, she eventually lost the match 6–10.[98] She was runner-up in the 2019 Women's Tour Championship, held at the Crucible Theatre, defeating Rebecca Kenna 2–0 in the semi-finals before losing the one-frame final to Reanne Evans.[99]
At the Australian Women's Open in 2019, Ng and Nutcharut Wongharuthai were the only two players to complete their qualifying groups without losing a frame.[100] Ng then registered wins over Tani Mina 3–0, Jessica Woods 3–1, and So Man Yan 4–1, to reach the final against Wongharuthai, who won the match 4–2 to gain her first ranking tournament win.[101][102]
Ng won her third IBSF world snooker title in Antalya in November 2019. She dedicated her victory to Poon Ching-chiu, a fellow snooker player who had died at the age of 18 during the fortnight before the final.[103] Ng finished top of the qualifying round, winning all four of her matches 2–0,[104] before defeating Joy Lyn Willenberg 3–0 in the last 16, and Amee Kamani 4–1 in the quarter-finals. Her semi-final against Waratthanun Sukritthanes was taken to a deciding frame, but with breaks of 34 and 40, Ng won the last frame 85–0 and the match 4–3.[105][106] She then played Wongharuthai in the final where, after trailing 0–2, she took five consecutive frames to win the match 5–2.[i]
2020: Belgian Open Champion
Ng won the 2020 Belgian Women's Open, which was her first ranking tournament victory since the 2018 Australian Open. She was seeded directly into the last-16 round, where she defeated both Albina Liashcuk and Steph Daughtery 3–0. She then bested Wongharuthai 4–2 in the semi-finals. In the final she was 2–1 ahead of Reanne Evans after losing the first frame. From 2–2, Ng won the next two frames to take the title with a 4–2 win.[107]
Ng was given a wildcard place for the qualifying rounds of the 2020 World Snooker Championship.[108] The final stages of the tournament were due to take place in April and May 2020 but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[109] She declined to participate in the tournament due to COVID-19 safety concerns.[110] With World Women's Snooker events cancelled or postponed during the coronavirus pandemic, Ng's next competitive appearance was at the 2020 Hong Kong Women's Snooker Open Championship, nine months after the Belgian Open. She won the title with a 4–0 defeat of Cheung Yee Ting in the final.[111]
On the World Women's Snooker circuit for 2021–2022, there were five ranking events.[113] Ng won the Eden Women's Masters, winning the deciding frame of her semi-final against Kenna after needing three snookers, and recovering from 1–3 against Evans in the final to win 4–3.[114] She took the season's last ranking title, the Winchester Open, by defeating Wongharuthai 4–0 in the final.[115]
Ng achieved her first win on the World Snooker tour by eliminating Wu Yize 4–2 at the 2022 Welsh Open. She lost 1–4 to Ali Carter in the next round.[116]
Honours and awards
The Hong Kong government awarded Ng the Medal of Honour in 2011 for "outstanding achievements in international snooker competitions."[117] She received a Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2017, this being the lowest of the three ranks of The Order of the Bauhinia Star, a set of awards made by the government of Hong Kong to "persons who have rendered distinguished service to the community or to their respective fields of business for a long period of time".[118][119]
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Hong Kong
