A 17 year-old Scotsman named Stephen Hendry became the youngest World Snooker Championship qualifier in 1986.
Despite losing his first game on the Crucible stage, he was applauded out of the arena by opponent Willie Thorne.
Hendry would grow accustomed to the sound of applause at the home of snooker, ultimately garnering the moniker of the ‘King of the Crucible’ after a dominant decade during his heyday.
Indeed, between 1990 and 1999 Hendry contested all but two of the World Championship title deciders while emerging with the title seven times – a modern-day record that stood until 2022.
Indeed, between 1990 and 1999 Hendry contested all but two of the World Championship title deciders while emerging with the title seven times – a modern-day record that stood until 2022.
A young Hendry turned professional in 1985 after winning the Scottish Amateur Championship and just two years later triumphed in the first of 36 career ranking titles.
Summary
A 17 year-old Scotsman named Stephen Hendry became the youngest World Snooker Championship qualifier in 1986.
Despite losing his first game on the Crucible stage, he was applauded out of the arena by opponent Willie Thorne.
Hendry would grow accustomed to the sound of applause at the home of snooker, ultimately garnering the moniker of the ‘King of the Crucible’ after a dominant decade during his heyday.
In addition to the five UK Championship crowns he accumulated, Hendry was also a force at the prestigious Masters.
In fact, after making his debut in the competition in 1989 he failed to lose a single match until the 1994 final.
Indeed, between 1990 and 1999 Hendry contested all but two of the World Championship title deciders while emerging with the title seven times – a modern-day record that stood until 2022.
Hendry, Stephen
In addition to the five UK Championship crowns he accumulated, Hendry was also a force at the prestigious Masters.
In fact, after making his debut in the competition in 1989 he failed to lose a single match until the 1994 final.
Underlining his dominance, Hendry held the number one spot in the world rankings for eight successive years between 1990 and 1998.
After the turn of the millennium, Hendry’s form began to go in the wrong direction and his once relentless streak of victories became less frequent.
Hendry later attributed his downward spiral to the yips, which prevented him from cueing in his natural way, while a damaged cue in 2003 didn’t help his cause either.
Despite compiling an 11th career maximum break at the 2012 World Snooker Championship en route to an unexpected appearance in the last eight, Hendry announced his retirement from the sport.
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