Stuart Pettman
Name: Stuart Pettman
DOB: April 24th, 1975
Nationality: English
Turned Pro: 1992
Highest Ranking: #37 (2009/10)
Current Ranking: #37
Highest Break: 142 x2 (2001 Thailand Masters, 2009 China Open Qualifiers)
Career Highlights: 2009 China Open Semi-finalist, Qualified for the 2003 and 2004 World Championship, reached the last 16 of the 2005 Malta Cup, 2005 Grand Prix and 2007 Shanghai Masters
Career Highlights
Turning pro in 1992, Stuart has been an ever-present on the main tour since he first joined it at the start of the 1994-5 season, though it is only in recent years that he has started to climb up into the top 50 for the first time.
Indeed it was not until his 11th last 32 match in a ranking event that he won one, at the 2005 Malta Cup against Paul Hunter before he lost to Steve Davis in the next round. Since then he has had a further two last 16 appearances, coming unstuck against David Gray at the 2005 Grand Prix and Stuart Bingham at the 2007 Shanghai Masters. His improved on all of these results over in Beijing in 2009 however as he reached the semi-finals of the China Open before going down 6-1 to Peter Ebdon.
As far as the World Championship goes, he has qualified for the final stages at the Crucible twice, in 2003 and 2004. In 2003 he defeated Rod Lawler, Shokat Ali and Dave Harold to qualify before suffering a 10-2 hammering at the hands of eventual winner Mark Williams.
Things didn’t get much better on his second appearance as having beaten future world champion Shaun Murphy and Grand Prix winner Marco Fu to qualify, he was brushed aside by seven times champion Stephen Hendry, again by a 10-2 scoreline. These two results mean that he has the unwanted distinction of having the lowest ratio of points scored to points conceded of all the players to have played at the Crucible more than once.
2008/9
Despite a run to the last 16 in Shanghai and an impressive run at the Grand Prix, Stuart ended the 2007/8 season ranked down in 62nd place, his lowest position since 2000 and only just keeping his place on the main tour.
He started 2008/9 ranked up in 51st place on the provisional list however and by reaching the last 32 stage of the first two tournaments of the season, ensured early on that he would have no trouble staying on the tour this time around.
Though his form dipped slightly in the middle part of the season, an opening round win in the qualifying stages of the World Championship ensured that he would return to the top 48 in the rankings and so make things easier for himself the following season, reducing the amount of qualifying matches that he will need to win to make the TV venues.
China Open Breakthrough
Having done this, he went into the China Open (which he had already qualified for back in January with wins over Peter Lines, Alan McManus and Steve Davis), in relaxed mood and was set to embark upon the most remarkable week of his long career.
Having come through the potential banana skin of his wildcard match against Cao Yupeng, Stuart then defeated Mark Allen to reach the last 16 for only the fourth time in his career where he would face Ali Carter, the man who had just won his first ranking event title and was the form player on the tour. In the quarter-finals for the first time in his career, many then expected that his run would be ended by a resurgent Graeme Dott but Stuart was flying and raced to a 5-2 victory to reach his first semi-final.
Though this did prove to be one match too far as he went down 6-1 to Peter Ebdon, it was a terrific tournament from Stuart and will surely give him confidence going into 2010/11. Back in the top 48, thanks to his China run he also lies inside the top 32 on the one-year list and has a great opportunity to push on and continue his rise up the rankings.
