Amir Sarkhosh
_%E2%80%93_Amir_Sarkhosh_from_Iran_claimed_a_gold_medal_at_the_Snooker_Single_15-Red_event_of_ACBS_1st_Asian_Billiards_Sports_Championship.jpg) Sarkhosh pictured in 2016 | |
| Born | 30 May 1991 |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  Iran |
| Professional | 2024–present |
| Highest ranking | 94 (September 2024) |
| Current ranking | 100 (as of 16 December 2024) |
Amir Sarkhosh (born 30 May 1991) is an Iranian snooker player from Karaj who has won the Asian Snooker Championship three times.
Career
[edit]Amateur career
[edit]Since 2004, Sarkhosh regularly participated in international tournaments, initially with only modest success. In 2008, he reached the main round of the Amateur World Championship for the first time and the quarter‑finals of the under‑21 Asian Championship. Two more quarter‑finals of international under‑21 championships followed in 2012. In 2013, he reached the final of the Asian Six‑Red Snooker Championship, but lost to Muhammad Asif. He then received an invitation to the men's Six‑Red snooker tournament at the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. There he also reached the final, but lost again, this time to Xiao Guodong. The following year, he reached the final of the 6‑Red Asian Championship again and won his first international title against Boonyarit Keattikun.[1] He was invited to the 2013 and 2014 editions of the professional 6‑Red World Championship, where he was eliminated in the group stage. Just a few days after his success at the 6‑Red Asian Championship, he and Ehsan Heydari Nezhad also reached the final of the team tournament that followed. However, they lost to the Indian team.[2]
He achieved further notable successes with a quarter‑final appearance at the 2014 IBSF World Snooker Championship and semi‑final appearances at the 2013 and 2016 Asian Championships. During this time he achieved his best results in team tournaments. Together with Soheil Vahedi he won the Asian Team Championship in 2015 and 2016; and the IBSF World Team Cup in 2016, after they had already taken second place there in 2013. The pair then won a gold medal in the snooker team competition at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games together with Hossein Vafaei. He reached the final of the 2017 IBSF World Snooker Championship, but lost to Pankaj Advani. He had another title win in 2018 when he won the Asian Snooker Championship with a victory over Ali Gharaghouzlo.[3]
In 2019 he won the 6‑Red Asian Championship again. He reached the final of his first tournament, the 2021 Asian Championship, but lost to Advani. He reached the final of the 2021 IBSF World Snooker Championship, but lost to Ahsan Ramzan.[4] At the 2022 Asian Championship he won another major international title when he defeated Ishpreet Singh Chadha in the final. In the same year, he again reached the finals of the 6‑Red Asian Championship and the 2022 IBSF World Snooker Championship, which he lost to fellow countryman Siyavosh Mozayani and Malaysian champion Lim Kok Leong respectively. The following year, he won his third title at the Asian Championship, equalling record winner James Wattana. A few months later, he won the 6‑Red Asian Championship for the third time.
2024/2025 season
[edit]Sarkhosh earned a place on the professional tour for the first time in 2024 by coming through the WPBSA Q Tour Global Play‑Offs.[9] He had his first win of the season by beating amateur player Joshua Thomond 5–3 in qualification for the 2024 Xi'an Grand Prix.[10] He beat David Lilley 6–3 in qualification for the 2024 International Championship, but his most significant win to date was a 5–3 defeat of world number 21 David Gilbert in qualification for the 2025 World Open.[10]
Career finals
[edit]Individual amateur
| Outcome | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 2013 | Asian 6-Reds Championship |  Muhammad Asif (PAK) |
4–7 |
| Runner-up | 2013 | Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games |  Xiao Guodong (CHN) |
4–5 |
| Winner | 2014 | Asian 6-Reds Championship |  Boonyarit Keattikun (THA) |
7–6 |
| Runner-up | 2017 | IBSF World Snooker Championship |  Pankaj Advani (IND) |
2–8 |
| Winner | 2018 | Asian Snooker Championship | Ali Gharaghouzlo (IRN) |
6–1 |
| Winner | 2019 | Asian 6-Reds Championship | Babar Masih (PAK) |
7–4 |
| Runner-up | 2021 | Asian Snooker Championship | Pankaj Advani (IND) |
3–6 |
| Runner-up | 2022 | IBSF World Snooker Championship[a] | Ahsan Ramzan (PAK) |
5–6 |
| Winner | 2022 | Asian Snooker Championship | Ishpreet Singh Chadha (IND) |
5–0 |
| Runner-up | 2022 | Asian 6-Reds Championship | Siyavosh Mozayani (IRN) |
4–5 |
| Runner-up | 2022 | IBSF World Snooker Championship |  Lim Kok Leong (MAS) |
0–5 |
| Winner | 2023 | Asian Snooker Championship | Rory Thor (MAS) |
5–1 |
| Winner | 2023 | Asian 6-Reds Championship |  Chau Hon Man (HKG) |
6–2 |
Team amateur
| Outcome | Year | Tournament | Team partners | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runners-up | 2013 | Asian Team Snooker Championship | Ehsan Heydari Nezhad (IRN) |
Alok Kumar (IND) Brijesh Damani (IND) Manan Chandra (IND) |
0–3 |
| Runners-up | 2013 | IBSF World Team Cup | Soheil Vahedi (IRN) |
Muhammad Asif (PAK) Muhammad Sajjad (PAK) |
3–5 |
| Winners | 2015 | Asian Team Snooker Championship | Soheil Vahedi (IRN) |
Ali Gharaghouzlo (IRN) Ehsan Heydari Nezhad (IRN) |
3–0 |
| Winners | 2016 | Asian Team Snooker Championship | Soheil Vahedi (IRN) |
Pankaj Advani (IND) Aditya Mehta (IND) Manan Chandra (IND) |
3–2 |
| Winners | 2016 | IBSF World Team Cup | Soheil Vahedi (IRN) |
Chen Zifan (CHN) Yuan Sijun (CHN) |
5–2 |
| Winners | 2017 | Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games | Hossein Vafaei (IRN) Soheil Vahedi (IRN) |
 Ahmed Saif (QAT) Ali Al Obaidli (QAT) Khamis al Obaidli (QAT) |
3–0 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ Although it was held in 2022, this was the (postponed) championship for 2021.
References
[edit]- ^ "Asian Championship 2013 : 6-Red Snooker". cuesportsindia.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "India trounce Iran to win Asian Snooker Championship in Qatar". The Peninsula. 31 May 2013. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Day, Michael (13 May 2018). "Sarkhosh wins Asian Championship on home soil". worldsnookerfederation.org. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Pathak, Vivek (11 March 2022). "World Snooker Champion 2021 - Ahsan Ramzan from Pakistan". IBSF. Archived from the original on 24 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "I owe it to Kothari, Roe: Sohail Vahedi". The Asian Age. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "Amir Sarkhosh wins inaugural Q Tour Middle East title". WPBSA. 10 January 2024. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "Amir Sarkhosh secures Q Tour Middle East double". WPBSA. 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "Trio of World Snooker Tour cards secured in Sarajevo". WPBSA. 16 March 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ [6][7][8]
- ^ a b "Amir Sarkhosh". snooker.org. Retrieved 25 December 2024.