Mehmet Husnu (born 25 July 1972) is a

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: ** Armenian Cypriots ** Greek Cypriots ** Maronite Cypriots ** Tur ...

former professional

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in Ind ...

player.

Career

Born in 1972, Husnu turned professional in 1991, becoming the first Cypriot professional snooker player in the history of the game. Husnu's career highlights came in his first two seasons; he reached the last 32 of the 1992 European Open, losing 0–5 to

Jimmy White James Warren White (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player who has won three seniors World titles. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his fluid, attacking style of play, White is the 1980 World Amateur Champion, 2009 ...

, and the same stage of the 1993 Welsh Open, where he was defeated 1–5 by

James Wattana James Wattana (; born January 17, 1970, as วัฒนา ภู่โอบอ้อม ''Wattana Pu-Ob-Orm'', then renamed รัชพล ภู่โอบอ้อม ''Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm'' in 2003) is a Thai former professional snooker pl ...

. He also made a 147 break during the 1999 China International tournament. Husnu's opponent in his first qualifying match for the 1993 World Championship was

Spencer Dunn Spencer Dunn is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1968 World Cup. Playing career Dunn was originally from the West Coast but moved to Christchurch to play for Papanui in the Canterbury Rugby Le ...

, who defeated him 5–2; the match was Dunn's seventh en route to appearing in the last 32 at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...

. Having performed poorly in the intervening years, Husnu was ranked 145th in the world at the end of the 1996/97 season, and lost his place on the tour, being forced to qualify to regain it the following year. This he did, subsequently maintaining his status for four years, before being relegated once more in 2002. During the 2002/2003 season, Husnu reached the final of the 2002 Benson & Hedges Championship, losing 6–9 to Mark Davis, but having earned back his professional status, lost it again in 2004. He entered several tournaments in 2004 and 2005, but after failing to qualify for the 2006 World Championship, Husnu left competitive snooker, aged 33.

Performance and rankings timeline

References

Cypriot snooker players 1972 births Living people {{snooker-bio-stub