Si Jiahui (Chinese: 斯佳辉sí-tɕjá-xwéɪ; born 11 July 2002) is a Chinese professional snooker player. After training at the Wiraka Billiard Academy in Foshan, he moved to the United Kingdom aged 16 and earned a two-year tour card through the 2019 Q School for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons. He lost his tour card after ending the 2020–21 season outside the top 64 in the world rankings, and competed as an amateur during the 2021–22 season, during which he defeated Shaun Murphy 6–5 in the first round of the 2021 UK Championship. After rejoining the professional tour at the start of the 2022–23 season, he reached his first ranking quarter-final at the 2022 European Masters.
At the 2023 World Snooker Championship, Si won three qualifying matches to reach the tournament's final stages at the Crucible Theatre for the first time. He then defeated Murphy, Robert Milkins, and Anthony McGill as he progressed to the semi-finals, becoming the first Crucible debutant to reach the last four since Andy Hicks in 1995. Although he led 14–5 in the semi-final, he lost 15–17 to the eventual winner Luca Brecel; this nine-frame deficit was the largest lead overturned in the history of the World Championship. He advanced from 80th to 36th in the world rankings after the tournament. Si reached the first ranking final of his career at the following season's 2024 German Masters, but lost 5–10 to Judd Trump.
On 11 October 2024, Si achieved his first maximum break in professional competition in his 6–2 win against Judd Trump in the semi-final of the 2024 Wuhan Open.[2] Si would go on to lose the second ranking final of his career against Xiao Guodong.[3]
Early life
Born on 11 July 2002,[4] in the Dongbaihu [zh] district of Zhuji, in Zhejiang, Si resided with his parents in Hangzhou.[4] He competed in table tennis tournaments as a child, winning second place in a school tournament and competing in other tournaments in the city. He became interested in cue sports after his father opened a pool club dedicated to Chinese eight-ball.[4] Si showed talent at the sport, and his father pressured him to excel at it. By age 10, Si was practising for 13 hours a day under the supervision of his father and beating all other players at the club.[5]
Si entered a nine-ball tournament in Shanghai for elementary school students, where he was runner-up.[4] At the tournament, his father met another father whose son was training at a snooker academy in Guangdong. In September 2013, aged 11, Si left school and moved to Guangdong, accompanied by his father, where he began playing snooker.[4] At age 12, he began training at the Wiraka Billiard Academy in Foshan, where he was coached by Roger Leighton.[5] At 14, he defeated former world number one Ding Junhui 3–2 in a national tournament.[4][5]
At age 16, Si moved to the United Kingdom. He joined Victoria’s Snooker Academy in Sheffield, a stable of mostly Chinese players managed by former snooker journalist Victoria Shi. Other players at the Academy upon Si's arrival included Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao, and Fan Zhengyi.[5][6]
Si spent the 2021–22 season competing as an amateur, but earned top-up places in ranking tournaments through his high placement in the 2021 Q School Order of Merit.[9] At the 2021 UK Championship, he defeated former world champion Shaun Murphy 6–5 in the first round. In a BBC radio interview after the match, Murphy objected to amateur players featuring in professional events, saying that he had "lost to someone who shouldn’t even be in the building".[9] The World Snooker Tour issued a statement disagreeing with these remarks,[10] and Murphy subsequently apologised for "taking the shine off" Si's win.[11]
Towards the end of the season, Si won the 2022 World Snooker Federation Open amateur event, defeating Lee Stephens 5–0 in the final. This win earned him a two-year professional tour card for the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons.[12] At the 2022 European Masters, he defeated Anthony McGill and Daniel Wells to reach his first quarter-final at a ranking event, which he lost 2–5 to Kyren Wilson.[13]
Ranked 80th in the world rankings, he qualified for the main stage of the 2023 World Snooker Championship after defeating Florian Nüßle 10–7, Tom Ford 10–5, and Jordan Brown 10–7 in the qualifying rounds.[14] In the first round at the Crucible Theatre, Si defeated Murphy 10–9. On this occasion, Murphy commented on how well Si had played, saying he had been "fabulous".[15] Si defeated Robert Milkins 13–7 in the second round and McGill 13–12 in the quarter-finals,[16][17] becoming the first Crucible debutant to reach the World Championship semi-finals since Andy Hicks in 1995 and the youngest player to do so since Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1996.[18] Si lost 15–17 to Luca Brecel in the semi-finals after Brecel, from 5–14 down, won 12 of the last 13 frames.[19] Si advanced from 80th to 36th in the world rankings as a result of his performance at the tournament.[20]
Si lives in Sheffield during the snooker season. He did not see his family or his girlfriend during the COVID-19 pandemic; after the 2023 Welsh Open, he visited China for the first time in three years.[5] During the 2020–21 season, he dyed his hair blue.[23]
^ abcdef"浙江世界斯诺克职业第一人、00后小将斯佳辉——梦想站上更高舞台" [No. 1 professional snooker player from Zhejiang and post-2000 youngster, Si Jiahui—dreams to stand on a higher stage]. news.hangzhou.com.cn. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
