Iran’s Hossein Vafaei defeated world number one Judd Trump 13-12 and reached the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship for the first time, 24NewsHD TV reported on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old, ranked 32nd in the world and his country’s first professional snooker player, held his nerve in a high-quality contest at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, sealing victory with a composed 91 break in the deciding frame after forcing a decider with a century contribution of 106.
Trump, the 2019 world champion, had looked on course for victory after extending his overnight 9-7 lead to 10-7 and later moving within one frame of the win at 12-11.
But Vafaei mounted a resilient comeback, stringing together key breaks of 53, 55, and 77 to level the match and then edge ahead 11-10 before the contest went down to the wire.
The defeat leaves Trump’s hold on the top spot in the World Snooker Rankings under threat.
Vafaei, who became Iran’s first Crucible competitor and ranking event winner in 2022, advances to face China’s Wu Yize in the quarter-finals after the latter knocked out four-time world champion Mark Selby.
Speaking after the match, Vafaei said he relished the high-pressure occasion. “I’m not scared of anyone,” he said, adding that competing at the Crucible had long been his ambition.
He also paid tribute to Trump, describing him as a close friend and a formidable opponent. The two players embraced after the match as the crowd rose in a standing ovation for Vafaei’s performance.