Peter Ebdon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Peter Ebdon

Ebdon in 2018
Born	(1970-08-27) 27 August 1970 (age 54) Islington, London, England
Sport country	England
Professional	1991–2020
Highest ranking	3 (1996/97 & 2002/03)
Current ranking	55 (as of 8 May 2018)
Tournament wins
Ranking	9
World Champion	2002

Peter David Ebdon (born 27 August 1970) is an English retired professional snooker player. He was a world champion and is now a coach. Peter Ebdon won nine major snooker tournaments during his career. This made him one of the top players in the sport's history.

He won two of snooker's biggest events, known as the Triple Crown titles. He won the 2002 World Snooker Championship by beating Stephen Hendry in a very close final match. He also won the 2006 UK Championship, again defeating Stephen Hendry.

Peter Ebdon became a professional player in 1991 after winning the 1990 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship. He played in his first Crucible World Championship in 1992. He reached the quarter-finals in his very first try. He won his first professional title at the 1993 Grand Prix. This helped him become one of the top 16 players in the world. He stayed in the top 16 for many years, even reaching as high as third place.

He played in the World Championship 24 times. He reached the final three times. He lost to Stephen Hendry in 1996 and to Graeme Dott in 2006. But he famously beat Stephen Hendry in 2002 to become world champion. Peter Ebdon won his last major title in 2012 at the China Open. He stopped playing professionally on April 30, 2020. He retired because of ongoing neck and back pain.

Peter Ebdon was known for his very focused and sometimes slow playing style. He made 377 "century breaks" (scoring 100 points or more in one turn). He also made two "maximum breaks" (the highest possible score in one turn). After retiring, he started coaching other professional snooker players. These include Shaun Murphy, Jack Lisowski, Anthony McGill, Elliot Slessor, and Kyren Wilson.

Peter Ebdon's Snooker Journey

Starting as an Amateur Player

In the mid-1980s, Peter Ebdon played in many amateur snooker tournaments. He became one of the best amateur players of his time. In 1990, he won the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship. He beat Oliver King in the final match.

Becoming a World Champion (1991–2002)

Peter Ebdon became a professional snooker player in 1991. He made his first appearance at the World Championship in 1992. He surprised many by beating Steve Davis and reaching the quarter-finals. For this, he won the Young Player of the Year award.

He won his first big professional title at the 1993 Grand Prix. He beat Ken Doherty in the final. His second title was the 1995 Irish Masters, where he beat Stephen Hendry. He also reached his first Triple Crown final at the 1995 UK Championship, but lost to Hendry. Peter Ebdon entered the top 16 players in the world in 1994. He reached his highest ranking of third place in 1996 and again in 2002.

At the 1996 World Snooker Championship, Peter Ebdon reached his first World Championship final. He beat famous players like Jimmy White, Steve Davis, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. However, he lost the final to Stephen Hendry. He continued to win other tournaments, including the 1997 Thailand Open, the 2000 British Open, and the 2001 Scottish Open.

In 2002, Peter Ebdon reached his second World Championship final. He had beaten players like Michael Judge, Joe Perry, Anthony Hamilton, and Matthew Stevens. He then won his only world title by beating Stephen Hendry in a very close match, 18-17. He had started the tournament as an underdog. After winning, he said it was what he had "been working for and dreaming about for the last 17 years."

After Winning the World Title (2002–2011)

In 2003, Peter Ebdon tried to defend his world title. He played Paul Hunter in the quarter-finals. Peter Ebdon fought back from behind, but Hunter won the match. This match lasted over eight hours.

Peter Ebdon's playing style became slower after his world title win. This sometimes caused discussion, especially when he played Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2005. Peter Ebdon won that match, even though his shots were very slow. He explained that he played slowly when he was trying his hardest.

At the 2006 World Snooker Championship, Peter Ebdon reached his third world final. He beat Marco Fu in a tough semi-final. In the final, he played Graeme Dott and lost. Later that year, he won his second Triple Crown title at the 2006 UK Championship. He beat Ding Junhui, John Higgins, and Stephen Hendry to win.

His last deep run in the World Championship was in 2008, when he reached the quarter-finals. After that, his next seven appearances at the Crucible ended in first-round losses. In 2009, Peter Ebdon won the China Open by beating John Higgins. However, he lost in the first round of the 2009 and 2010 World Championships. This meant he fell out of the top 16 world rankings after 16 years. He said he was "very proud" of his time in the top 16.

Ebdon at the 2010 Brugge Open

In 2010, Peter Ebdon reached the semi-finals of the World Open. This helped him get back into the top 16. He finished the 2010-2011 season ranked number 13 in the world.

Later Career and Retirement (2011–2020)

Peter Ebdon fell out of the top 16 again in 2011. This meant he had to play in qualifying rounds for most tournaments. He missed the main stages of the UK Championship and the Masters for the first time in many years.

In 2012, Peter Ebdon won the China Open. He beat top players like John Higgins, Neil Robertson, and Ding Junhui. He then won the final against Stephen Maguire. This win helped his ranking. He also made his 300th "century break" during this final.

Ebdon at the 2014 German Masters

In 2012, he reached the final of the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open, but lost to Barry Hawkins. His match against Ding Junhui in that tournament was very slow, lasting almost five hours. Other players, like Judd Trump, commented on his slow pace.

In 2013, Peter Ebdon played in his 22nd World Championship. This tied a record at the time. He lost a long match to Graeme Dott. After this, his ranking dropped to 30th in the world. He did not qualify for the World Championship in 2014 and 2015, ending his long streak of appearances.

At the 2015 UK Championship, Peter Ebdon reached the last 16. He was the oldest player at the 2016 World Grand Prix. He qualified for the World Championship again in 2016 and 2017. His last appearance at the Crucible was in 2017. He ended that season ranked 40th, his lowest ranking since 1992.

Ebdon playing at the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic, where he finished as runner-up

Peter Ebdon reached his last professional final at the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic, where he lost to Kyren Wilson. He played his final professional match in December 2019. On April 30, 2020, Peter Ebdon announced his retirement from professional snooker. He said he was not willing to have surgery for his neck and back pain to keep playing.

Coaching Career (2021–Present)

In 2021, Peter Ebdon became a coach and mentor to Jack Lisowski. Lisowski reached his first world quarter-final in 2022 and said Peter Ebdon helped him improve. As of 2023, Peter Ebdon also coaches other professional players like Anthony McGill, Elliot Slessor, and Kyren Wilson.

Peter Ebdon's Achievements

Peter Ebdon (left) and Shaun Murphy (right) at the 2025 Masters

Peter Ebdon was the third player ever to make two "maximum breaks" in professional tournaments. He did this in 1992. In the same year, he was the first player to make four "century breaks" in just five frames. He won the World Championship and the UK Championship. However, he never won the Masters, which would have completed the career Triple Crown. His best results at the Masters were reaching the semi-finals in 1995 and 2005.

Personal Life

Peter Ebdon was born in Islington, London. He later moved to Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. He played the oboe in his school orchestra and studied Latin and Greek. He also played cricket for North London. He left school early to focus on his snooker career.

Early in his career, Peter Ebdon was known for wearing his hair in a ponytail. He is also colour blind. Sometimes, he would ask the referee for help telling the brown ball apart from the red balls. In some matches, he accidentally hit the wrong ball because of this.

He has four children with his first wife, Deborah. In 2005, he moved to Dubai with his family. He said he moved for tax reasons, lower crime rates, and better weather. He lived there until 2009, when he and Deborah separated. In 2010, Peter Ebdon married his second wife, Nora, in her home country of Hungary.

Peter Ebdon is known for focusing on his fitness, including swimming every day. In 2012, he became a vegan. He is a big fan of the motivational book Think and Grow Rich. In 2018, he became a professional healer. He also has a long-standing interest in breeding racehorses and has released three music singles.

Career finals

Below is a list of professional finals Peter Ebdon played in.

Ranking finals: 18 (9 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1993	Grand Prix	Ken Doherty	9–6
Runner-up	1.	1994	Dubai Classic	Alan McManus	6–9
Runner-up	2.	1995	UK Championship	Stephen Hendry	3–10
Runner-up	3.	1996	European Open	John Parrott	7–9
Runner-up	4.	1996	World Snooker Championship	Stephen Hendry	12–18
Winner	2.	1997	Thailand Open	Nigel Bond	9–7
Runner-up	5.	1999	British Open	Stephen Hendry	5–9
Winner	3.	2000	British Open	Jimmy White	9–6
Winner	4.	2001	Scottish Open	Ken Doherty	9–7
Runner-up	6.	2001	LG Cup	Stephen Lee	4–9
Winner	5.	2002	World Snooker Championship	Stephen Hendry	18–17
Winner	6.	2004	Irish Masters	Mark King	10–7
Runner-up	7.	2006	World Snooker Championship (2)	Graeme Dott	14–18
Winner	7.	2006	UK Championship	Stephen Hendry	10–6
Winner	8.	2009	China Open	John Higgins	10–8
Winner	9.	2012	China Open (2)	Stephen Maguire	10–9
Runner-up	8.	2012	Australian Goldfields Open	Barry Hawkins	3–9
Runner-up	9.	2018	Paul Hunter Classic	Kyren Wilson	2–4

Non-ranking finals: 7 (5 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1992	Finnish Open	Mark King	6–4
Winner	2.	1995	Irish Masters	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	9–8
Winner	3.	1995	Pontins Professional	Doherty, KenKen Doherty	9–8
Runner-up	1.	1995	Scottish Masters	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	5–9
Winner	4.	1995	Malta Grand Prix	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	7–4
Winner	5.	1996	Scottish Masters	McManus, AlanAlan McManus	9–6
Runner-up	2.	2002	Irish Masters	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	3–10

Pro-am finals: 5 (4 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1989	Pontins Spring Open	Doherty, KenKen Doherty	7–4
Winner	2.	1990	Dutch Open	Knowles, TonyTony Knowles	6–4
Runner-up	1.	1995	Pontins Spring Open	Williams, MarkMark Williams	4–7
Winner	3.	2015	Vienna Snooker Open	King, MarkMark King	5–3
Winner	4.	2016	Vienna Snooker Open (2)	Davis, MarkMark Davis	5–1

Team finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Team/partner	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1995	Lowen Sport European Pro-Am	Tim Price	Willie Thorne Dieter Johns	10–6

Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1990	IBSF World Under-21 Championship	Oliver King	11–9

See also

In Spanish: Peter Ebdon para niños