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Robin Hull

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Robin Hull
Born(1974-08-16)16 August 1974(age 49)
Espoo,Uusimaa,Finland
Sport countryFinland
NicknameThe Flying Finn[1]
Professional1993–1997, 1998–2008, 2011/2012, 2013–2019
Highestranking32 (2003/2004)
Century breaks168
Best ranking finishQuarter-final (x3)

Robin Hull(born 16 August 1974) is a Finnish former professionalsnookerplayer.

For some time, he was the soleNordicplayer on the game'smain tour.He is known as a solidbreak-builder, having compiled over 150 competitivecenturiesduring his career, among the highest for a player who has never featured in the top 16 in the world rankings.

Hull is one of six players to have missed the final black in attempting amaximum break,alongsideKen Doherty,Thepchaiya Un-Nooh(twice),Barry Pinches,Mark SelbyandLiang Wenbo.[2]

Career

[edit]

Hull became a professional snooker player in 1992.[3]In the2001–02 season,he reached the last 16 of the2001 UK Championship,and later qualified for the2002 World Championship,knocking outSteve Davisin the final qualifying round; in the first round proper, he lost 6–10 toGraeme Dott.[4]These results contributed to Hull entering the world top 32 at the end of the next season.[5]

A potentially fatalviralinfectionkept Hull out of much of the2003–04 season,although he still was able to reach his first ever quarter-final at the2003 Welsh Open.[6]He later repeated this result at the2006 Malta Cup.However, his performances were largely inconsistent due to his health issues. He was forced to pull out of qualifying for the2007 World Championshipdue to an irregular heartbeat thought to be linked to his past illness.[7]After similar problems in the following season, he decided to retire from professional competition.[8]

In February 2010 Hull took part in an invitation event the Finnish Challenge, which featured a number of notable professionals. He impressed, beatingDarren Morgan,Ken DohertyandMatthew Stevenson the way to the final, where he lost 1–6 toMark Williams.This result encouraged Hull to take part in the2011 Q Schooltournament in an attempt to qualify for the2011–12 main tour,which he did successfully in the first event.[9]Due to lack of sponsorship he only played in a handful of events during the season with his best run coming in qualifying for the2011 UK Championshipin November where he beatLucky VatnaniandYu Delu,before losing toPeter Lines4–6.[10]Hull did not enter another tournament after this and finished the season ranked world number 84, outside of the top 64 who retain their places for the2012–13 seasonand therefore did not retain his spot on the main tour.[11]In the2012–13 seasonHull entered qualifying for theWorld Championshipas an amateur, where he lost in the first round of preliminary qualifying 2–5 toPaul Wykes,despite making a 137 break during the match.[12][13]

Hull regained his main tour place for the2013–14season by winning theEBSA European Snooker ChampionshipsinZielona Góra,Poland,beating WelshmanGareth Allen7–2 in the final, finishing the match with two consecutive centuries.[14]He qualified for the2013 International Championshipby beatingLiu Chuang6–2, although he had to withdraw from the venue stages inChina,and came close to beating the reigning world championRonnie O'Sullivanin the last 64 of the minor-rankingKay Suzanne Memorial Cup,losing 4–3 after leading 3–1. However, Hull failed to win any other match at the rest of the tournaments, and due to financial reasons skipped most of the second part of the season until theWorld Championship,where he delivered his best performances in years.[15]He scored an impressive 10–3 win againstTony Dragoin the first round, followed by a 10–6 defeat ofTian Pengfei,and a 10–4 win from 3–0 behind againstIan Burnsin round three, to set up a final round match againstPeter Ebdon,which Hull won 10–8 to reach theCruciblefor the second time in his career.[15][16]He played O'Sullivan in the last 32 and lost 10–4, despite making a century in one of the frames.[17]

The2014–15season began well for Hull. He defeatedXiao Guodong,Graeme DottandCao Yupengto reach the quarter-finals (the third of his professional career and first for eight years) of the2014 Wuxi Classicwhere he lost 5–2 to eventual runner-upJoe Perry.[18][19]Hull won most of his opening round matches in the subsequent tournaments, but failed to progress beyond the last 64 stage until the2015 China Openwhere he received a bye to the last 32 afterRonnie O'Sullivan's withdrawal, and defeatedMark King5–4 to reach the last 16, where he lost 5–1 toKurt Maflin.[18]

Due to missing most of the previous season, Hull arrived at the season-endingWorld Championshipqualifiers needing a repeat of the previous year's performance to retain his tour card by getting into the top 64 of the world rankings. He did exactly that, as he beat Martin McCrudden,Ben WoollastonandIgor Figueiredoto qualify for the Crucible for the second year in a row.[20][21]He was defeated 10–3 byShaun Murphyin the first round, but was ranked 61st in the world afterwards.[22][23]

Hull did not participate in many tournaments at the start of the2015–16 season.His first win came at the2015 UK Championship,where he defeatedZhang Anda6–4 in the first round, followed by a 6–3 victory over world number eightBarry Hawkins.[24]He was defeated in the third round 6–2 byLuca Brecel,his efforts earning him £9,000.[25]At theShoot-Out,the tournament in which every match is decided by a single 10-minute frame, Hull won his second professional title by beating Brecel in the final. The winner's prize of £32,000 is the highest pay day of his career.[26]

2017 Paul Hunter Classic

His Shoot-Out success allowed him to compete in the2016 Champion of Champions,where he lost 4–2 toRonnie O'Sullivanin the first round. His only last 16 appearance this year came at theGerman Mastersafter he followed qualifying wins overLuca BrecelandMatthew Stevenswith a 5–4 victory overJimmy White,before losing 5–4 toRyan Day.[27]In the first round ofWorld Championshipqualifying, Hull suffered a huge 10–8 shock defeat to 11-time ladies world championReanne Evans.[28]

Personal life

[edit]

Hull was born and raised in Finland, to a Finnish mother and an English father.[29]

Performance and rankings timeline

[edit]
Tournament 1993/
94
1994/
95
1995/
96
1996/
97
1997/
98
1998/
99
1999/
00
2000/
01
2001/
02
2002/
03
2003/
04
2004/
05
2005/
06
2006/
07
2007/
08
2011/
12
2012/
13
2013/
14
2014/
15
2015/
16
2016/
17
2017/
18
2018/
19
2019/
20
Ranking[5][nb 1] [nb 2] 212 128 132 [nb 3] [nb 2] 101 102 86 39 32 47 55 50 54 [nb 2] [nb 3] [nb 2] 73 61 59 [nb 4] 76 [nb 3]
Ranking tournaments
Riga Masters[nb 5] Tournament Not Held MR LQ 2R 1R A
International Championship Tournament Not Held A WD A LQ 1R 1R LQ A
China Championship Tournament Not Held NR LQ LQ A
English Open Tournament Not Held 1R 1R 1R A
World Open[nb 6] 1R LQ LQ 1R A 2R LQ LQ 2R 1R 2R LQ 1R RR LQ A A LQ Not Held 1R LQ LQ A
Northern Ireland Open Tournament Not Held 3R 3R 3R A
UK Championship LQ LQ LQ LQ A LQ LQ LQ 3R LQ 1R 1R LQ 3R WD LQ A 1R 2R 3R 2R 1R 1R A
Scottish Open[nb 7] 1R LQ LQ LQ A LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ WD Tournament Not Held MR Not Held 3R 1R 2R A
European Masters[nb 8] LQ LQ LQ LQ NH LQ Not Held LQ 1R WD LQ QF LQ NR Tournament Not Held 1R LQ LQ A
German Masters[nb 9] Not Held LQ LQ A A Tournament Not Held WD A LQ LQ LQ 1R LQ LQ A
World Grand Prix Tournament Not Held NR DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
Welsh Open LQ LQ LQ LQ A LQ LQ LQ LQ QF 1R 1R LQ LQ WD A A A 2R 2R 3R WD 1R A
Shoot-Out Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 2R WD WD A
Players Championship[nb 10] Tournament Not Held DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
Gibraltar Open Tournament Not Held MR A A 3R A
Tour Championship Tournament Not Held DNQ DNQ
World Championship LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R LQ WD LQ LQ WD WD A LQ 1R 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
Champion of Champions Tournament Not Held A A A 1R A A A
The Masters LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ A LQ LQ LQ A A A A A A A A A
World Seniors Championship Tournament Not Held A A LQ A A A A A
Former ranking tournaments
Dubai Classic[nb 11] LQ LQ LQ LQ Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix NH Non-Ranking Event LQ NR Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters[nb 12] A LQ LQ 1R A LQ LQ LQ LQ NR Not Held NR Tournament Not Held
British Open LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ 2R LQ LQ 1R Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters Non-Ranking Event LQ WD 1R NH NR Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held NR LQ LQ Tournament Not Held
Wuxi Classic[nb 13] Tournament Not Held NR A A QF Not Held
Australian Goldfields Open[nb 14] NH NR Tournament Not Held LQ A A LQ A Not Held
Shanghai Masters Tournament Not Held LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ NR
Paul Hunter Classic[nb 15] Tournament Not Held Pro-am Event Minor-Ranking Event WD 1R A NR
Indian Open Tournament Not Held LQ 1R NH 1R 1R 1R NH
China Open[nb 16] Tournament Not Held NR A LQ LQ LQ Not Held LQ LQ LQ WD A A A 2R WD LQ LQ LQ NH
Former non-ranking tournaments
Belgian Masters Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
Finnish Masters Not Held 1R Tournament Not Held
Malta Masters Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Malaysian Masters Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix NH A A A A A R LQ Tournament Not Held
Scottish Masters A A A A A A A A A LQ Tournament Not Held
Six-red World Championship[nb 17] Tournament Not Held NH A 2R A A A A A A
Shoot-Out Tournament Not Held A A A A W Ranking Event
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
  1. ^From the 2010/2011 season it shows the ranking at the beginning of the season.
  2. ^abcdNew players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking.
  3. ^abcHe was an amateur.
  4. ^Players qualified One Year Ranking List started the season without ranking points.
  5. ^The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)
  6. ^The event was called the Grand Prix (1992/1993–2000/2001 and 2004/2005–2009/2010), the LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004) and the Haikou World Open (2011/2012–2013/2014)
  7. ^The event was called the International Open (1992/1993–1996/1997) and the Players Championship (2003/2004)
  8. ^The event was called the Irish Open (1998/1999) and Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)
  9. ^The event was called the German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)
  10. ^The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2011/2012–2012/2013) and the Players Championship Grand Final (2013/2014–2015/2016)
  11. ^The event was called the Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and the Asian Classic (1996/1997)
  12. ^The event was called the Asian Open (1992/1993) and the Thailand Open (1993/1994–1996/1997)
  13. ^The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009–2009/2010)
  14. ^The event was called the Australian Open (1994/1995) and the Australian Masters (1995/1996)
  15. ^The event was called the Grand Prix Fürth (2004/2005) and the Fürth German Open (2005/2006–2006/2007)
  16. ^The event was called the China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)
  17. ^The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009) and the Six-red World Grand Prix (2009/2010)

Career finals

[edit]

Non-ranking finals: 3 (2 titles)

[edit]
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2002 WPBSA Open Tour Event 3 Republic of IrelandColm Gilcreest 5–4
Runner-up 1. 2010 Finnish Challenge WalesMark Williams 1–6
Winner 2. 2016 Snooker Shoot Out BelgiumLuca Brecel 1–0

Pro-am finals: 1 (1 title)

[edit]
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 2000 Austrian Open EnglandMatthew Couch 5–1

Amateur finals: 12 (11 titles)

[edit]
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1992 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship BelgiumPatrick Delsemme 11–7
Winner 1992 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandJyri Virtanen 5–0
Runner-up 1993 EBSA European Championship EnglandNeil Mosley 6–8
Winner 1997 EBSA European Championship IcelandKristján Helgason 7–3
Winner 2005 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandRisto Värynen 5–4
Winner 2009 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandKimmo Lang 4–0
Winner 2011 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandAntti Mannila 4–0
Winner 2013 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandKimmo Lang 5–0
Winner 2013 EBSA European Championship(2) WalesGareth Allen 7–2
Winner 2014 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandKimmo Lang 5–4
Winner 2018 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandAntti Tolvanen 4–1
Winner 2020 Finnish Amateur Championship FinlandHeikki Niva 4–0

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Robin Hull".World Snooker Tour.Archived fromthe originalon 4 June 2023.Retrieved13 February2024.
  2. ^"Near-miss for Mark Selby in easy win over Mark King in China".SkySports.com.27 March 2013.
  3. ^"Robin Hull".World Snooker Tour.Archived fromthe originalon 4 June 2023.Retrieved13 February2024.
  4. ^Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004).The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History.Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. pp. 552–554.ISBN978-0-9548549-0-4.
  5. ^ab"Ranking History".Snooker.org.Retrieved6 February2011.
  6. ^"Hull withdraws after health scare".BBC Sport.27 February 2007.Retrieved13 November2018.
  7. ^"Hull Withdraws From Prestatyn Qualifiers".World Snooker.26 February 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2007.
  8. ^"Ailing Hull quits snooker circuit".BBC Sport.14 January 2008.
  9. ^"Hull Back On Pro Tour".World Snooker.16 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 21 May 2011.
  10. ^"Robin Hull 2011/2012".Snooker.org.Retrieved24 May2012.
  11. ^"Official World Snooker Ranking List for the 2012/2013 Season"(PDF).worldsnooker.com.8 May 2012. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 June 2013.Retrieved24 May2012.
  12. ^"Robin Hull 2012/2013".Snooker.org.Retrieved5 April2013.
  13. ^"Betfair World Championship Pre-Qualifiers".livescores.worldsnookerdata.com.Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2014.Retrieved5 April2013.
  14. ^Dariusz Goral."European Snooker Championships Men – Zielona Góra/Poland 2013 – knockout results".esnooker.pl.Retrieved6 June2013.
  15. ^ab"Robin Hull 2013/2014".Snooker.org.Retrieved6 May2014.
  16. ^"World Snooker Championship: Peter Ebdon fails to reach Crucible".BBC Sport.16 April 2014.Retrieved6 May2014.
  17. ^"World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Hull".BBC Sport.19 April 2014.Retrieved6 May2014.
  18. ^ab"Robin Hull 2014/2015".Snooker.org.Retrieved15 April2015.
  19. ^"Hull of a Performance".World Snooker.26 June 2014. Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2020.Retrieved24 April2015.
  20. ^"Sweet 16 Through to Sheffield".World Snooker.15 April 2015. Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2020.Retrieved18 April2015.
  21. ^"Swail, Hull Climb Into Top 64 Contention".WPBSA.com.14 April 2015.Retrieved18 April2015.
  22. ^"Shaun Murphy enjoying 'buzz' of World Snooker Championships as he makes last 16".Nottingham Post.24 April 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 18 May 2015.Retrieved30 April2015.
  23. ^"World Rankings After 2015 World Championship".World Snooker.Archived fromthe originalon 7 May 2015.Retrieved8 May2015.
  24. ^"Barry Hawkins: 'UK snooker tables are only good for burning'".Eurosport UK.1 December 2015.Retrieved24 September2016.
  25. ^"2015 UK Championship".CueTracker.Retrieved7 December2015.
  26. ^"Flying Finn is Shoot-Out King".World Snooker.14 February 2016. Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2020.Retrieved24 September2016.
  27. ^"Robin Hull 2016/2017".Snooker.org.Retrieved15 May2017.
  28. ^"Reanne Evans: Women's number one two wins away from reaching Crucible".BBC Sport.5 April 2017.Retrieved15 May2017.
  29. ^"Snooker: Contenders wait on O'Sullivan's shoulder".The Independent.21 April 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2022.
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