Matthew Stevens facts for kids
Stevens at the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic
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| Born | 11 September 1977 Carmarthen, Wales |
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| Sport country |  Wales |
| Professional | 1994–present |
| Highest ranking | 4 (2005/06) |
| Current ranking | 47 (as of 8 May 2018) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 1 |
Matthew Stevens is a professional snooker player from Wales, born on September 11, 1977. He has won two major snooker tournaments, known as Triple Crown events: the Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He also reached the final of the World Snooker Championship twice, in 2000 and 2005. Matthew Stevens achieved his highest career ranking of No. 4 during the 2005/2006 season. Throughout his career, he has made over 350 century breaks, which means scoring 100 points or more in a single turn!
Contents
Matthew Stevens' Snooker Journey
Starting Out in Professional Snooker
Matthew Stevens became a professional snooker player in 1994. In his second season, he won the Benson & Hedges Championship, which helped him qualify for the Masters tournament. There, he beat Terry Griffiths but lost a very close match to Alan McManus. The next season, he showed his talent by defeating the famous Stephen Hendry 5–1 in the Grand Prix.
In the 1997–98 season, Matthew reached the semi-finals of both the Grand Prix and the UK Championship. He also made it to the quarter-finals in his first appearance at the Crucible in the World Championship. In 1998, he played in his first major final at the UK Championship, but he lost to John Higgins.
Big Wins and Close Calls (2000–2005)
The 1999–2000 season was a huge one for Matthew Stevens. He reached the finals of all three Triple Crown events! He lost to Mark Williams in the 1999 UK Championship final. However, he then won the 2000 Masters title by beating Ken Doherty 10–8.
At the 2000 World Championship, Matthew reached his first World Championship final. He had some great wins against top players like Jimmy White. In the final, he faced Mark Williams again. Matthew was leading by a good margin, but Mark Williams made an amazing comeback, and Matthew lost 16–18. This was only the second time in the World Championship's history that a player lost the final after leading by four frames overnight.
Matthew also reached the semi-finals of the World Championship four other times (in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2012). In 2002, he was very close to reaching the final, leading Peter Ebdon 16–14. But he missed an easy shot, and Ebdon managed to win the next three frames, taking the match 17–16.
Matthew Stevens won the 2003 UK Championship by beating Stephen Hendry in the final. He was losing 0–4 at the start but made a fantastic comeback to win 10–8. This is his only major ranking tournament win so far.
In 2005, he was a runner-up again at the World Championship, losing 16–18 to Shaun Murphy. He had a good lead, but Murphy played incredibly well to win. Matthew said Murphy was simply the "better player" and believed he would win the championship one day.
Later Career (2006–Present)
After 2005, Matthew Stevens faced some tough times. In 2007, he lost a very close match to Shaun Murphy in the World Championship quarter-finals, even though he was leading 12–7 earlier. This loss meant he was no longer in the top 16 players for the first time in eight years.
He continued to play, reaching the final of the 2008 Bahrain Championship and the quarter-finals of the 2010 Shanghai Masters. In 2011, he won the 2011 Championship League, which is a non-ranking event, by beating Shaun Murphy in the final. His strong performances helped him return to the top 16 world rankings in 2011.
In 2012, Matthew had another great run at the World Championship, reaching his sixth semi-final in the event. He beat players like Marco Fu and Ryan Day before losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He finished that season ranked world number 10, his highest ranking since 2005.
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In 2013, Matthew reached another ranking event final at the World Open in China. He even played with a borrowed cue for some matches because his own cue didn't arrive on time! He made it to the final but lost to Mark Allen.
He continued to compete in many tournaments, reaching quarter-finals and winning important matches against top players. For example, in 2015, he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Welsh Open for the first time in twelve years.
In recent years, Matthew Stevens has continued to play professionally. He reached the semi-final of the 2018 International Championship and the quarter-finals of the 2019 UK Championship. As of the end of 2024, he is still ranked among the top 64 snooker players in the world.
Matthew Stevens' Life Outside Snooker
Matthew Stevens was born in Carmarthen, Wales. He went to a Welsh-speaking school and can speak Welsh fluently.
He was a close friend of fellow snooker player Paul Hunter, and he was a pallbearer at Paul's funeral. Matthew is also a talented poker player! In 2004, at just 27 years old, he won the UK's biggest poker tournament. He had only been playing poker for about 18 months before this big win.
Career Finals: A Quick Look
Matthew Stevens has played in many important finals throughout his career.
- Ranking Finals: He has reached 8 ranking finals, winning 1 of them (the 2003 UK Championship). He was a runner-up twice in the World Championship and twice in the UK Championship.
- Non-ranking Finals: He has reached 9 non-ranking finals, winning 8 of them, including the prestigious Masters in 2000.
- Team Finals: He won the Nations Cup with Team Wales in 1999 and was a runner-up in 2000.
See also
In Spanish: Matthew Stevens para niños
