DOB: September 17th, 1969

Nationality: Irish

Turned Pro: 1990

Highest Ranking: #2 (2006/7)

Current Ranking: #44

Highest Break: 145 (2004 Daily Record Players Championship)

Career Highlights: 1997 World Champion, 1993 & 2001 Welsh Open Champion, 2000 & 2006 Malta Cup Champion, 1998 & 2003 World Finalist, 1994, 2001 & 2002 UK Championships Finalist

In short

One of the nicest, most charismatic players on the tour, 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty at his best is one of the strongest match-players in the game and he never knows when he is beaten. This was typified in his amazing run in the 2003 World Championship when he played more frames in the event than anyone before or since in order to make the final.

An excellent tactician, Ken has often been described as a player with no obvious weaknesses, who is very good in every area of the game. This makes him an extremely tough opponent who will fight to the end. He excels in both scrappy frames and as evidenced by over 250 competitive century breaks, can score heavily when given the chance.

On a personal level of all the players I have spoken to over the past few years, Ken win or lose always has time for everyone. Once his playing career is over he would be an obvious choice for a TV role, having already been involved with the BBC during their coverage of some of the major events.

Career

As an amateur, Ken first came to prominence in 1983 when he won the Irish U-16 title, a title that he would retain the next year. He followed this up with the Irish U-19 title in 1986 and then the Irish Amateur Championship in 1987 and 1989, victories that would allow him to showcase his talents on the world stage later that year. This he managed to do in great style; firstly capturing the World U-21 Championship in Reykjavik before taking victory in the World Amateur Championship in Singapore.

Going Pro

After a solid start to his professional career, he moved swiftly up the rankings and began to reach the latter stages of ranking events with increasingly regularity. In his second season he qualified for the B&H Masters by winning the qualifying tournament as well as reaching two ranking semi-finals to move up to 21st in the rankings. It was the following season where he made a real breakthrough however. Firstly he managed to reach the final of the Rothmans Grand where he lost narrowly to Jimmy White before taking his first ranking event title at the 1993 Welsh Open. This result took him into the top 16 where he was to remain until the end of the 2007/8 season.

World Title

Steady results continued to keep him in the top 10 but it was at the 1997 World Championship where the greatest moment of his career would come. In the first round he managed to win a tight match with Mark Davis before thrashing his namesake and six-times world champion Steve in the next round. He followed this up with an excellent 13-9 win against future champion John Higgins in the quarter-finals to reach his first World semi-final. Following a comfortable win over Alain Robidoux he met the world number one and six times defending champion Stephen Hendry in the final. Going into the match as the underdog, few expected Ken to win but he managed to withstand Hendry’s heavy scoring and earn a well deserved 18-12 victory to become the third overseas player to win the title. In doing so he became the only player to have won the World Professional Championship, World Amateur Championship and the World U-21 Championship during his career.

Subsequent Career

Starting the next season at number three in the world, Ken continued to perform well, though was unable to defend his world title losing 18-12 to John Higgins. In the following years further ranking event victories came with the 2000 Malta Grand Prix, the 2001 Regal Welsh and the Thailand Masters, before in 2003 he reached his third World final.

In fact that run to the final in 2003 was arguably the most dramatic route that anyone has undertaken to get to that stage. His first two matches against future world champions Shaun Murphy and Graeme Dott went to final frame deciders before he met the man who beat him in 1998, John Higgins in the quarter-final. Despite racing to a 10-0 lead, Ken was forced to fight off a Higgins revival, eventually getting over the line for a 13-8 victory.

The most dramatic match was to come in the semi-final against the late Paul Hunter. They resumed that Saturday afternoon, the score standing at 15-9 to Hunter before Ken mounted one of the greatest comebacks in snooker history to win 17-16. At 14-16 it looked all over for Ken as he missed a tough blue, but remarkably it rebounded from the jaws of a corner pocket into the opposite middle pocket. Taking the next two frames to complete the win, he was into his third final against 2000 champion Mark Williams.

Despite mounting yet another comeback to peg the Welshman back to 16-16 from being 11-5 down at one point, a second world title was not to be as Williams took the final two frames to win.

Recent years

Ken was later to admit that the disappointment of this defeat stayed with him for the next 18 months. He began to slip down the rankings and at one point appeared in danger of losing his top 16 place but he halted the slide with victory in the 2006 Malta Cup. His victory in the final, once again against John Higgins came courtesy of yet another comeback, winning 9-8 from 8-5 down. He took this form into the 2006 World Championships where he started in excellent form, but failed to deliver in his quarter-final tie with Marco Fu.

Since then Ken has sadly struggled to find his best form and following defeat to Liang Wenbo in the 2008 World Championship lost his place in the elite top 16.

Things went from bad to worse in 2008/9, a season in which Ken managed to win just two matches and failed to qualify for the Crucible for the first time since 1993. Having also lost his top 32 status for the following season it is looking increasingly likely Ken’s best days are now behind him and he has gone on record as saying that he won’t play on for too much longer if his results don’t pick up soon…

Tournament victories

Ranking Event wins (6)

Non-Ranking Event wins (12)

Other wins (2)

Profile supplied by Matt Huart (http://prosnookerblog.com/)