Jamie Cope
Name: Jamie Cope
DOB: September 12th 1985
Nationality: English
Turned Pro: 2001
Highest Ranking: #18 (2009/10)
Current Ranking: #18
Highest Break: 147x2 (2006 Grand Prix, 2008 Shanghai Masters)
Career Highlights: 2006 Grand Prix Finalist, 2007 China Open Finalist, 2007 UK Championship Quarter-Finalist, 2009 World Championship Last 16, 2005 Grand Prix Last 16, 2006 Welsh & China Open Last 16
In short
One of the most talented young players around at the moment it is surely only a matter of time before Jamie Cope breaks into the elite top 16 for the first time.
With a very fast, aggressive style of play, Jamie is a great player to watch when in full flow as he demonstrated in beating Joe Perry and pushing eventual champion John Higgins to a deciding frame in the 2009 World Championship. Hopefully over time he will improve the other aspects of his game such as his safety play and his added experience will help him to win on a more consistent basis.
Early career
A terrific junior having won nearly 50 events, he continued this form in the amateur ranks before turning professional for the 2002/3 season. Unfortunately however, although retained his place for the next season, his results were not remarkable and he dropped off the main tour for 2004/5.
He soon regained his place in the big league however by finishing top of the Challenge Tour that year. Following this he was to make a better fist of the main tour, finishing the year in the top 48 following Paul Hunter’s illness.
Breakthrough
It was to be the 2006/7 season where Cope was to really make an impression, firstly making the third ever 147 break seen at the Grand Prix before remarkably reaching the final. Although he fought well from 8-2 down against Neil Robertson, the title was not to be his, though by reaching the final he had already done his ranking a lot of good. He later backed this up further by reaching his second final of the season in China though the result was to be the same, losing 9-5 to Graeme Dott this time. By making these two finals he had at least done enough to secure a place in the top 32.
The 2007/8 season was not to be quite as successful, though he did go on a good run at the UK Championship in Telford before losing at the quarter-final stage. The other highlight was qualifying for the World Championship at the Crucible for the first time, though having started well, he was to lose out to former champion Peter Ebdon 10-9 In the first round. As a result he narrowly missed out on a place in the top 16 and would have to qualify for events once again in 2008/9.
2008/9
Jamie’s 2008/9 campaign was a mixed one as he won the majority of his opening round matches and in Shanghai made his second competitive 147, but he did not really push on and reach the latter stages of a tournament. He did however impress many onlookers with his performances in the 2009 World Championship as he become one of just two qualifiers to reach the last 16 with an emphatic 10-6 win over Joe Perry.
Though he lost out to John Higgins in the last 16 having led 12-10, he again performed well and it took a really special effort from the Scot to come back and win the match. The defeat meant that Jamie once again fell short of moving up into the top 16, but he has at least moved up to a new high of 18th place and will hopefully go into next season with a lot of confidence and self-belief from his Crucible run.
