Snooker Player Vafaei Dedicates Title to His Late Grandma

He became the first Iranian player to win a ranking title, beating Mark Williams in the final of the Snooker Shoot Out.

“When I arrived at this event I nearly pulled out because my grandmother passed away,” Vafaei told WST. “I was in my room crying for one hour for my grandma. My mother and everyone in my family were crying.

“I decided to play but I didn’t care about winning or losing. I don’t know…an energy came to me, I don’t know how to explain it, and I played fantastic. It was very sad news for me but everyone told me to win it for my grandma, I wanted to do that and I have done it,” he stated.

In the arena in Leicester after claiming the title, Vafaei did well to hold back the tears, telling Eurosport: “That is for you grandma. It’s Mother’s Day in Iran and I am very proud I did that.”

The 27-year-old is the top player from Iran and hopes that this will be the first of many titles for him and other players from his country, where snooker is growing in popularity.

“It’s a big achievement for a country like Iran. Nobody knew about snooker before. Now they know,” he said.

“I can’t imagine what the reaction back in Iran will be like, it will be very big. People will be proud of me and I am so happy about that. The future of this game in Iran is very good and I am trying my best to make it bigger there.

“The first step is the hardest and I have won my first title now so maybe I can win more,” Vafaei concluded.