Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 06:17, 18 November 2024

Liang Wenbo

Liang at the 2016 Paul Hunter Classic
Born	(1987-03-05) 5 March 1987 (age 37) Zhaodong, Heilongjiang, China
Sport country	China
Nickname	The Firecracker
Professional	2005–2023
Highest ranking	11 (October, December 2016, May 2017)
Current ranking	(as of 16 December 2024)
Maximum breaks	3
Century breaks	292
Tournament wins
Ranking	1
Minor-ranking	1
Medal record Representing  China Men's snooker World Games 2013 Cali Singles Asian Games 2006 Doha Singles 2006 Doha Team 2010 Guangzhou Team Asian Indoor Games 2009 Ho Chi Minh City Six-red singles Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013 Incheon Team

Liang Wenbo (Chinese: 梁文博; born 5 March 1987) is a Chinese former professional snooker player. During his playing career, he won one ranking title at the 2016 English Open, twice won the World Cup for China in 2011 and 2017 with teammate Ding Junhui, and was runner-up at the 2009 Shanghai Masters and the 2015 UK Championship. He made 292 century breaks in professional competition, including three maximum breaks, and reached a career high of 11th in the snooker world rankings.

In April 2022, Liang was convicted of domestic assault, after which the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) suspended him for four months. It suspended him again in October 2022 while investigating match-fixing allegations that later widened to implicate nine other Chinese players. A disciplinary tribunal found Liang guilty of multiple match-fixing offences as well as destroying evidence and not cooperating with the investigation. In June 2023, the WPBSA permanently banned Liang and compatriot Li Hang from the sport, the only two lifetime bans ever handed down in professional snooker. The Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) upheld the WPBSA's decision.

Career

Early career

As an amateur player, Liang reached the quarter-finals of the 2003 IBSF World Snooker Championship, and the following year, he reached the semi-finals of the under-21 division of the same event. In the fourth International Open Series event, Liang reached the final. At the 2006 Asian Games, Liang won the silver medal in the singles event, losing 2–4 in the final to Ding Junhui, and competed in the Chinese team at the event alongside Ding and Tian Pengfei and was part of the winning trio in the team event. Liang joined the Challenge Tour during the 2004–05 snooker season, which was the tier below the World Snooker Association Main Tour. He finished 104th out of 168 competitors, accumulating 2150 points.

Liang won the 2005 IBSF World Under-21 Championship, for which he received a wildcard nomination to the Main World Snooker Tour despite not qualifying directly because not all of the players that were eligible took their places. In his first ranking tournament, the Grand Prix, he lost in the first qualifying round to Rory McLeod 2–5. At the next ranking event, the 2005 UK Championship, he defeated Alfred Burden in the first qualifying round 9–1, but subsequently lost in the second qualifying round to Marcus Campbell 8–9. At the 2006 Welsh Open, he defeated Sean Storey, Jamie Burnett, and Rory McLeod to reach the main draw of a ranking event for the first time. He completed a whitewash of Nigel Bond in the first round 5–0, but lost to Graeme Dott 3–5.

At the 2006 Malta Cup, he lost in the first qualifying round to Paul Davies 3–5. At the 2006 China Open (snooker), he beat David McDonnell and Matthew Couch before losing against Adrian Gunnell 3–5 in the third qualifying round. In qualifying for the 2005 World Snooker Championship, he lost to Joe Delaney 5–10 in the first qualifying round. Liang ended his debut season on the professional tour ranked 78th, a position that would not guarantee a place in the following season's tour; however, he had finished inside the top 8 of the one-year ranking list of those who had not qualified, which gave him a place on the main tour for the next season.

During the 2006–07 season, Liang reached at least the second round of qualifying in every ranking event. At the Northern Ireland Trophy, he beat Robert Stephen 5–0 before falling to David Gilbert 0–5 in qualifying. At the Grand Prix, Liang came out on top of his qualifying group, above more experienced players such as Gerard Greene and Barry Pinches. He finished fourth in his group at the round-robin stage, and although he did not progress to the next round, he defeated world number one Stephen Hendry 3–0. At the 2006 UK Championship, he lost in the second round of qualifying to Jamie Burnett 7–9. In the following ranking event, the 2007 Malta Cup, he lost to Joe Jogia 3–5, again in the second round of qualifying. He qualified for the 2007 Welsh Open, his third-ranking tournament, by beating Dene O'Kane, Jogia, and Mark Davis. He met Nigel Bond again in the last 48, this time losing 3–5.

At the 2007 China Open, he beat Robert Stephen before losing to Finland's Robin Hull. At the 2007 World Snooker Championship, he beat Jeff Cundy before losing to Mike Dunn. Liang finished the season in 66th place, just outside the top 64. However, this time he topped the one-year ranking list to ensure his place on the Tour for next season.

Becoming a top 64-player

At the 2007 Shanghai Masters, Liang was defeated in the last qualifying round by Bond, who beat him 5–3. At the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy, he defeated Fraser Patrick, Joe Delaney, and Rory McLeod to qualify. He faced Gerard Greene in the last 48, but lost 2–5. Liang was defeated in the second qualifying round for the 2007 UK Championship, losing to David Roe 2–9. He also failed to qualify for the 2008 Welsh Open, when he was beaten in the last qualifying round by Andrew Norman 2–5. He didn't win a match at the 2008 China Open, losing in the first qualifying round to Steve Mifsud, who, at the end of this season, was ranked 54 places below Liang.

At the 2008 World Snooker Championship, Liang was the third Chinese player to qualify for the main draw, defeating Ben Woollaston, Rod Lawler, David Gilbert, and Ian McCulloch in the qualifying rounds. He met former winner Ken Doherty in the first round and defeated him 10–5. Leading 12–10 in the second round against Joe Swail, Liang prematurely celebrated winning the match after potting match ball, only to lose the frame. Swail came back to level the match at 12–12, but Liang won 13–12. Liang faced Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-final, losing 7–13. His run to the quarter-finals of the World Championship gained him 5,000 ranking points, as he finished 40th in the world at the end of the season.

At the 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy, he beat Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon to reach the last 16, where he lost to John Higgins 1–5. This result lifted him to a career high of 26 in the world. He reached the main draw of the 2008 Grand Prix by winning two qualifying matches, but then succumbed to O'Sullivan in the first round of the main draw. Liang made his first professional maximum break and three other centuries in a 5–1 victory over Martin Gould in the third qualifying round of the Bahrain Championship. However, he failed to qualify for the main draw, losing 2–5 to Michael Judge.

For the two Chinese events on this season's tour, Liang's two qualifying matches were held over until the venue stages. At the 2008 Shanghai Masters, he defeated Atthasit Mahitthi and Mark Allen to reach the main draw but lost to Ryan Day 0–5 in the first round. At the 2009 World Snooker Championship, after defeating Dave Harold 10–3 in the last qualifying round, he lost 8–10 in the first round of the main draw against Ding.

First ranking event final

In July 2009, Liang won his first professional title, the 2009 Beijing International Challenge, defeating world number two Stephen Maguire 7–6 in the final. At the 2009 Shanghai Masters, he reached the final of his first ranking event, becoming the second Chinese player to do so (after Ding). He ultimately finished runner-up to O'Sullivan.

Liang qualified for the 2009 Grand Prix but was defeated 2–5 by Peter Ebdon in the first round, winning the first two frames and losing the last five in succession. Prior to this meeting, he had played Ebdon twice, winning 5–1 and 5–0. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 UK Championship after defeating Ryan Day 9–3 and Mark King 9–2. He went on to lose 2–9 to John Higgins in the quarter-finals. He failed to qualify for the 2010 Welsh Open and the China Open, as he lost 3–5 against Michael Judge and 2–5 against Andrew Higginson, respectively. Liang qualified for the 2010 World Snooker Championship by defeating Rod Lawler 10–2. He was drawn against O'Sullivan but lost 7–10. Liang finished the season ranked 16th in the world.

At the 2010 Wuxi Classic, he lost in the first round 2–5 against Marco Fu. He participated in the 2010 Beijing International Challenge to defend his first professional title, but lost in the semi-finals 4–6 against eventual winner Tian Pengfei. Liang failed to qualify for the World Open, as he lost 1–3 against Andrew Higginson and lost his first round match at the Shanghai Masters 3–5 against Matthew Stevens. Having started the season inside the top 16, his results were not sufficient to maintain that position, and he slipped out of the top 16. After this, he lost his qualifying matches in the five ranking tournaments.

Liang also participated in the Players Tour Championship, his best performance coming at the third European event, where he reached the final but lost 0–4 against Marcus Campbell. After 12 out of 12 events, he was ranked 14th in the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit. He lost his first round match at the Players Tour Finals 1–4 against Ricky Walden.

Alongside Ding, he represented China at the 2011 World Cup, which they won with a 4–2 victory against the Northern Ireland team. During his match against Matthew Stevens in the first round of the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open, Liang had a chance to make his second maximum break in his career, but he snookered himself on the yellow ball, and the break ended at 120. He won the match 5–4 to reach the second round, where he lost 4–5 against Ken Doherty. He also qualified for the 2011 Shanghai Masters but lost in the first round 1–5 against Neil Robertson. After this, he was unable to qualify for the next two ranking events, as he lost 2–6 against Michael White at the 2011 UK Championship and 3–5 against Liu Chuang at the 2012 German Masters.

He beat David Gilbert and Rory McLeod to reach the first round of the 2012 Welsh Open, where he faced John Higgins, being defeated 1–4. He narrowly missed out on a place in the 2012 World Open as he was defeated 4–5 by Mark King in the final round of qualifying. He also lost in qualifying for the 2012 China Open to the eventual winner of the event, Peter Ebdon, 0–5.

He qualified for the 2012 World Snooker Championship by defeating Marcus Campbell 10–9. However, he lost on a deciding frame to John Higgins 9–10 in the first round, finishing the season ranked world number 37.

Liang lost in qualifying for both the 2012 Wuxi Classic and the Shanghai Masters to Rod Lawler. He reached the venue stage of the Australian Goldfields Open by beating Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon, but lost 3–5 in the first round against Matthew Stevens. Liang beat Anthony McGill and Andrew Higginson to qualify for the 2012 UK Championship, where he saw a 4–3 lead in the first round against Barry Hawkins turn into a 4–6 defeat. Liang failed to qualify for the next two events but won two matches to enter the main draw of both the 2013 Welsh Open and the China Open. In Wales, he lost 2–4 to Stevens in the first round, and in his homeland of China, he beat Lu Ning 5–1 in the wildcard round before losing 3–5 to Stuart Bingham in the first round. Liang had a very consistent season in the Players Tour Championship series as he advanced to, but not past, the last 16 in five of the ten events. This saw him placed 27th on the PTC Order of Merit, one spot short of making the Players Tour Finals. Liang's season ended when he was beaten 6–10 by Mark Davis in the final round of qualification for the World Championship. His end-of-year ranking was world number 32.

English Masters champion and UK Championship finalist

In July 2013, Liang reached the final of the World Games but lost the gold medal match 0–3 to Aditya Mehta. He had an excellent season in the Asian Tour events by reaching the semi-finals of the Zhangjiagang Open, where he was defeated 1–4 by Michael Holt, and at the Zhengzhou Open, where Liang won his first individual title on the World Snooker Tour. He beat Anthony McGill 4–3 in the semi-finals before whitewashing Lü Haotian 4–0 to claim the £10,000 first prize. In the full ranking events, Liang won five successive frames against defending world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the second round of the International Championship to triumph 6–4, which marked his first ever success over his opponent after losing in all four previous attempts. He then defeated Mark Davis 6–1 to reach the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time in four years, where he lost 3–6 against Graeme Dott. Liang reached the last 16 of both the German Masters and Welsh Open, losing 2–5 to Mark Davis and 2–4 to Barry Hawkins, respectively. A second final on the Asian Tour followed at the Dongguan Open, where Stuart Bingham made four breaks above 50 to defeat him 4–1, but Liang still topped the Order of Merit to qualify for the Finals. There, he was beaten 2–4 by Yu Delu, and Liang was defeated 7–10 by Martin Gould in the final round of World Championship qualifying.

Liang overcame Jamie Burnett 5–1 in the first round of the 2014 Wuxi Classic and then inflicted the first defeat on Mark Selby since he won the World Championship, beating him 5–3. In the last 16, Liang was knocked out 2–5 by Joe Perry. He lost 3–5 against Robert Milkins in the opening round of the 2014 Australian Goldfields Open, and in the wildcard round of the Shanghai Masters, 1–5 to Yan Bingtao. He failed to get past the last 64 of the next two ranking events but won two matches to reach the 2015 German Masters, where he eliminated Li Hang 5–1 in the first round. He reached the quarter-finals by coming back from 3–4 down against Stuart Bingham to win 5–4 on the final pink. He also defeated Ryan Day 5–4 to play in his second career ranking event semi-final, where he took four frames in a row to hold a narrow 4–3 advantage over Shaun Murphy before losing three successive frames in a 4–6 defeat. Liang did not drop a single frame in defeating both Cao Xinlong and Gerard Greene at the 2015 Welsh Open, but was then the victim of a whitewash by John Higgins in the third round. At the inaugural World Grand Prix, he lost 3–4 to Graeme Dott in the second round. In the final round of 2015 World Snooker Championship qualifying, he lost the last three frames against compatriot Zhang Anda to be defeated 9–10.

Liang reached the final of the invitational tournament, the 2015 Six-red World Championship, but was heavily beaten 2–8 by Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. In the third round of the 2015 UK Championship, he trailed Judd Trump by three frames but won 6–4. He then defeated Tom Ford 6–5, after which Ford accused Liang of "boring him off the table" with slow play. Liang opened his quarter-final match against Marco Fu with three centuries and hung on to edge it 6–5, then came from 2–4 behind to reach the final by beating David Grace 6–4. It was the first final of the event to feature two players from outside the United Kingdom; Liang lost the match 5–10 to Neil Robertson. A week later, he progressed to the semi-finals of the Gibraltar Open but was whitewashed 0–4 by Fu.

Liang's UK Championship final helped him break back into the top 16 in the world rankings to make his debut at the 2016 Masters, where he was knocked out 4–6 by John Higgins in the opening round. He was whitewashed 0–4 by Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix. After winning three matches to qualify for the 2016 World Snooker Championship, Liang lost 8–10 to Judd Trump after an earlier 7–3 lead.

In the first round of the 2016 Shanghai Masters, Liang was narrowly beaten 5–4 by O'Sullivan. He won five matches at the 2016 English Open, which included a 4–3 second round victory over Shaun Murphy, to reach the semi-finals. From 3–4 down, Liang defeated Stuart Bingham 6–5 to reach his third ranking event final. In the final, he ended Judd Trump's 14-match winning streak with a 9–6 victory. He became the second player from mainland China to win a ranking event and thanked O'Sullivan (with whom he practices daily) for his help. The win also gave him entry to his first Champion of Champions, where he lost 0–4 in the opening round to Mark Selby.

Final playing years

In the 2016 Scottish Open, Liang reached the quarter-finals, where he lost to Yu Delu 4–5. In the Masters, he was one pot away from defeating O'Sullivan 6–4, instead going on to lose 5–6. A 4–0 defeat of Dominic Dale and a pair of 4–3 victories over Mark Allen and Joe Perry moved Liang into the semi-finals of the 2017 World Grand Prix, where he was defeated 1–6 by Barry Hawkins. In the second round of the 2017 World Snooker Championship, Liang trailed Ding Junhui 2–6 after the first session and 7–9 after the second. He then won a trio of frames to take the lead in the match for the first time at 12–11, but lost the match 12–13. After the event, his end-of-season ranking rose to 11, which was his career-high.

Still ranked within the top 16, Liang gained entry to the 2018 Masters, where he led 5–4, but lost the match 5–6. Having dropped to 19th in the world, Liang was forced to qualify for the 2018 World Snooker Championship. In the tenth frame of his match against Lawler, he made his third career maximum break and had an opportunity to make another one in the twelfth frame, missing the final black ball. After defeating Lawler, he was whitewashed by Jamie Jones. Liang was the highest-ranked player not to make the main tournament.

With Liang's ranking dropping, he reached only the third round of three ranking events during the 2018-19 snooker season: the 2018 European Masters, the 2019 China Open, and the 2019 China Championship, in which he advanced to the third round. Liang finished the season ranked 41st in the world.

At the 2019 UK Championship, he defeated Dominic Dale, David Grace, Eden Sharav, and Li Hang, to reach the quarter-finals. Facing eventual champion Ding, he lost 2–6. Liang also reached the quarter-finals of the Gibraltar Open, losing 4–1 to Judd Trump.

Liang reached the semi-finals of the 2022 European Masters, defeating top-16 players Murphy and McGill before being defeated 2–6 by O'Sullivan. He also reached the semi-final of the single-frame tournament, the 2022 Snooker Shoot Out, where he lost to winner Hossein Vafaei. At the invitational version of the 2022 Championship League, Liang won group one and qualified for the last four during the Winner's Group. Liang lost 2–3 to Bingham, having been docked a frame for turning up late. The final tournament for which Liang qualified was the 2022 Welsh Open, where he lost 3–4 in the opening round to Ben Woollaston.

Domestic assault conviction and suspension

In the early hours of 20 July 2021, Liang was captured on CCTV repeatedly punching and kicking a woman during an argument in Sheffield city centre. The victim made an emergency call, during which she was reported to be screaming in distress. After pleading guilty to domestic assault at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on 9 February 2022, Liang was sentenced on 1 April to a 12-month community order plus a £1,380 fine. Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh called the outcome "a shockingly pathetic sentence for such a violent and appalling assault" and called for Liang to be banned from the upcoming 2022 World Snooker Championship.

The day after the sentencing, the WPBSA suspended Liang from professional competition with immediate effect, making him ineligible to compete in the World Championship qualifiers, which began on 4 April. The WPBSA held a disciplinary hearing on 26 May, at which Liang accepted that he had breached the WPBSA Members' Rules and his contract with World Snooker Limited by engaging in behaviour unbecoming of a sportsperson and by bringing the sport into disrepute. The WPBSA suspended him for a total of four months, until 1 August, and ordered him to pay £1,000 towards the costs of the hearing. Liang returned to competition at the 2022 British Open qualifiers.

Match-fixing investigation and permanent ban

The WPBSA suspended Liang again on 27 October 2022, due to misconduct allegations. It later disclosed that it was investigating Liang for match-fixing offences. It subsequently suspended nine other Chinese players as part of the same investigation, which became the biggest match-fixing inquiry in the sport's history. In January 2023, the WPBSA charged Liang with "being concerned in fixing matches and approaching players to fix matches on the World Snooker Tour, seeking to obstruct the investigation and failing to cooperate with the WPBSA investigation."

An independent disciplinary tribunal began hearing cases against the suspended Chinese players in April 2023. It found Liang guilty of fixing or conspiring to fix the results of five matches in total and of inducing players to fix the results of nine matches. It also found him guilty of betting on matches, threatening players, destroying evidence, and not cooperating with the investigation. In June 2023, the WPBSA announced that it had banned Liang from the sport for life and ordered him to pay £43,000 in costs. It also banned Li Hang for life and banned the other eight players involved for lengthy periods.

The CBSA launched its own investigation after the WPBSA investigation concluded. It also banned Liang and Li for life, preventing them from taking part in any organised snooker competition in China.

Personal life

In December 2011, Liang joined Romford-based snooker academy and management team Grove Leisure. Liang is married to Chen Xuejiao, and the couple has one child. In 2020, prior to the World Grand Prix, Liang had pledged to donate any money he would receive at the tournament to the Huizhou Red Cross in response to the coronavirus outbreak in China.

Performance and rankings timeline

1. It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
2. He was an amateur
3. New players don't have a ranking
4. The event was called the Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)
5. The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Final (2010/2011–2015/2016)
6. The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009) and the Six-red World Grand Prix (2009/2010)
7. ^ The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009–2009/2010)
8. The event was called the Grand Prix Fürth (2004/2005) and the Fürth German Open (2005/2006–2006/2007)
9. The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)
10. The event was called the Grand Prix (2004/2005–2009/2010)
11. The event was called the General Cup International (2004/2005–2011/2012)

Career finals

Ranking finals: 3 (1 title)

Legend UK Championship (0–1) Other (1–1) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref Runner-up 1. 2009 Shanghai Masters Ronnie O'Sullivan 5–10 Runner-up 2. 2015 UK Championship Neil Robertson 5–10 Winner 1. 2016 English Open Judd Trump 9–6

Minor-ranking finals: 3 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref
Runner-up	1	2010	Rhein–Main Masters	Marcus Campbell	0–4
Winner	1	2013	Zhengzhou Open	Lyu Haotian	4–0
Runner-up	2	2014	Dongguan Open	Stuart Bingham	1–4

Non-ranking finals: 5 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref
Winner	1.	2009	Beijing International Challenge	Stephen Maguire	7–6
Runner-up	1.	2009	General Cup	Ricky Walden	2–6
Runner-up	2.	2011	HK Spring Trophy	Cao Yupeng	5–6
Runner-up	3.	2013	World Games	Aditya Mehta	0–3
Runner-up	4.	2015	Six-red World Championship	Thepchaiya Un-Nooh	2–8

Pro-am finals: 2

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref
Runner-up	1.	2006	Asian Games	Ding Junhui	2–4
Runner-up	1.	2009	Asian Indoor Games	Xiao Guodong	2–5

Team finals: 4 (2 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Team	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref
Winner	1.	2011	World Cup	China	Northern Ireland	4–2
Winner	2.	2017	World Cup (2)	China A	England	4–3
Runner-up	1.	2017	CVB Snooker Challenge	China	Great Britain	9–26
Runner-up	2.	2019	World Cup	China B	Scotland	0–4

Amateur finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref
Winner	1	2005	IBSF World Under-21 Championship	Tian Pengfei	11–9

References

1. "Liang Wenbo". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
2. "WORLD RANKINGS After 2016 International Championship". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
3. "WORLD RANKINGS After 2016 Betway UK Championship". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
4. "WORLD RANKINGS After 2017 Betfred World Championship". Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
5. Janie Watkins (2006). "Player Profile: Liang Wenbo". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
6. "Asian Games 2006 Draw Snooker". Archived from the original on 12 September 2008.
7. ^ "Ding secures Asian Games treble". BBC Sport. 7 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
8. "2004-5 Challenge Tour Rankings". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
9. "2005-6 Main Tour List". Global Snooker Centre. 2005. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
10. "IBSF Under-21 World Snooker Championships, Non-Professional". Cue Sports Nova Scotia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
11. "2005 Grand Prix at the Global Snooker Centre". Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
12. "2005 UK Championship at the Global Snooker Centre". Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
13. "2006 Welsh Open at the Global Snooker Centre". Archived from the original on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
14. "2006 Malta Cup at the Global Snooker Centre". Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
15. "2006 China Open at the Global Snooker Centre". Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
16. "2006 World Championship at the Global Snooker Centre". Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
17. "2006-7 Main Tour – Eligible Players". Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
18. "2006 Northern Ireland Trophy". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
19. "2006 Grand Prix". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 21 August 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
20. "2006 UK Championship". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
21. "2006-7 Malta Cup". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
22. "2007 Welsh Open". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
23. "2007 China Open". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
24. "2007 World Snooker Championship". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 August 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
25. "2006–7 Main Tour – Final Rankings". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
26. "2006-7 Main Tour – One Year Rankings". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
27. "WWW Snooker: Roewe Shanghai Masters 2007". www.snooker.org. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
28. "WWW Snooker: Northern Ireland Trophy 2007". www.snooker.org. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
29. "2007 UK Championship". Snooker Database. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
30. "Qualifikation Welsh Open 2008". brownball.de. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
31. ^ "2007-8 Main Tour Rankings". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
32. "Liang stuns Doherty; Liu hangs on – china.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
33. Everton, Clive (24 April 2008). "Liang downs off-form Doherty". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
34. "Liang edges out Swail in classic". BBC Sport. 28 April 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
35. Everton, Clive (30 April 2008). "Carter's 'pure adrenaline rush' takes him to a maximum". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
36. "Provisional players on the 2008/09 World Snooker Tour". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
37. "Grand Prix". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013.
38. "Professional Tournaments: Bahrain Championship 08/09 results". Global Snooker.
39. "Global Snooker: Qualifying Results". Archived from the original on 12 February 2012.
40. "2008 Shanghai Masters Trophy". Archived from the original on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
41. "Twice-Champ Williams Secures Crucible Place". Archived from the original on 30 April 2009.
42. "Betfred.com World Championship (2009) - snooker.org". www.snooker.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
43. "Wenbo Bags first Professional title in the BTV Beijing Challenge". Global Snooker. 12 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
44. "Liang Stuns Murphy To Reach Final". World Snooker. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
45. ^ "O'Sullivan seals Shanghai Masters". BBC Sport. 13 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
46. Crooke, Perry (5 October 2009). "Peter Ebdon beats Liang Wenbo to reach Grand Prix second round". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
47. "2009 UK Championship". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 16 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
48. "2010 Welsh Open Qualifying". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
49. "2010 Sanyuan Foods China Open Qualifying". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
50. "2010 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship Qualifying". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
51. "2010 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
52. "Rankings 2010/11 Season – Season Starting PositionsG". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
53. ^ "Liang Wenbo – 2010/2011". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
54. "BTV International 2010, 19–25 июля, Китай". Top-Snooker.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
55. Turner, Chris. "Latest World Rankings". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
56. "Order of Merit". WWW Snooker. 17 October 2010. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
57. "PTC 2010/2011 Finals". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
58. "PTT-EGAT World Cup (2011) Results". pttegatsnookerworldcup.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
59. "Super Selby / Liang misses out on maximum". World Snooker. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012.
60. "Australian Goldfields Open (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
61. "Shanghai Masters (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
62. "UK Championship Qualifiers (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 9 November 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
63. "2012 German Masters Qualifiers". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
64. "Steve Davis turns on style to beat Ali Carter at Welsh Open". BBC Sport. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
65. "Results". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
66. "Bank of Beijing China Open Qualifiers (2012)". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
67. "Liang Survives Campbell Fight-Back". WPBSA. 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
68. Hafez, Shamoon (21 April 2012). "World Snooker Championship 2012: Higgins beats Liang". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
69. "Official World Ranking List for the 2012/2013 Season" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
70. ^ Liang Wenbo 2012/2013, Snooker.org.
71. "Barry Hawkins flies through to second round of UK Snooker Championships". The Press. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
72. "Order of Merit 2012/2013". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
73. "Betfair World Championship Qualifiers". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
74. "Official World Snooker Ranking List for the 2013/2014 Season" (PDF). World Snooker. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
75. ^ "Liang Wenbo 2013/2014". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
76. "Wonderful Wenbo Wins In Zhengzhou". World Snooker. 24 October 2013. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
77. "Ronnie O'Sullivan loses to Liang Wenbo in International Championship". BBC Sport. 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
78. "Peter Ebdon beats Neil Robertson at International Championship". BBC Sport. 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
79. "Ding Comes Through Ebdon Test". World Snooker. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
80. "Asian Order of Merit 2013/2014". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
81. "Wuxi Classic: Mark Selby loses to Liang Wenbo in China". BBC Sport. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 30 August 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
82. "Hull of a Performance". World Snooker. 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
83. ^ "Liang Wenbo 2014/2015". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
84. "O'Sullivan Takes Route 66 Past Perry". World Snooker. 6 February 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
85. "Murphy Downs Rocket In Thriller". World Snooker. 6 February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
86. "German Masters: Shaun Murphy will play Mark Selby in final". BBC Sport. 7 February 2015. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
87. "Sweet 16 Through to Sheffield". World Snooker. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
88. "Thepchaiya Reaches Nooh Level". World Snooker. 12 September 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
89. Phillips, Owen (2 December 2015). "UK Championship: Judd Trump 'embarrassed' by collapse". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
90. Phillips, Owen (3 December 2015). "UK Championship: Tom Ford accuses Liang Wenbo of being boring". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
91. "China's Liang Wenbo holds focus to repel Hong Kong's Marco Fu Ka-chun in snooker's UK Championship". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
92. "Neil Robertson overcomes Liang Wenbo to seal second UK Championship". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
93. ^ "Liang Wenbo 2015/2016". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
94. "Masters 2016: John Higgins sees off Liang Wenbo". BBC Sport. 13 January 2016. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
95. Sessions, George (21 April 2016). "Trump edges through in close contest". Ilford Recorder. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
96. "Shanghai Masters: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Liang Wenbo". BBC Sport. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
97. ^ "Liang Wenbo 2016/2017". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
98. "Liang Wins Classic Semi-final". World Snooker. 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
99. "Liang Claims Maiden Ranking Title". World Snooker. 16 October 2016. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
100. "Superb Fu into Last Four". World Snooker. 16 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
101. "Masters 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Liang Wenbo in first-round thriller". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
102. "Ding Sets Up O'Sullivan Clash". World Snooker. 22 April 2017. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
103. "Rankings 2016/2017". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
104. "Liang Wenbo". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
105. "O'Sullivan survives Masters scare". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
106. "Liang Makes 147 – Then Misses Black On 140". World Snooker. 12 April 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
107. "Liam Highfield and Lyu Haitian secure world championship debut". Live snooker. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
108. "Liang Wenbo - Players - snooker.org". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
109. "Ranking History - snooker.org". www.snooker.org. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
110. "2019 UK Championship: Complete tournament results". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
111. "Gibraltar Open draw". WST. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
112. "O'Sullivan Reaches 60th Ranking Final". World Snooker. 26 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
113. "Snooker Shoot Out 2022 Draw, Schedule, Results". Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
114. "Winners Group". Championship League Snooker.
115. "Results (Welsh Open 2022) - snooker.org". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
116. ^ "Liang Wenbo: Snooker pro who dragged woman to floor and kicked her in 'sustained and deliberate' attack is fined". Sky News. 1 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
117. "Liang Wenbo sentenced for assaulting woman in Sheffield". BBC News. 1 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
118. Burke, Darren (3 April 2022). "Liang Wenbo: Star banned from World Snooker Tour after attacking woman in Yorkshire". The Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
119. "Statement on Liang Wenbo". World Snooker. 2 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
120. "World Snooker Tour: Liang Wenbo suspended after domestic-related assault conviction". BBC Sport. 2 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
121. "Liang Wenbo banned until August after domestic-related assault conviction". BBC Sport. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
122. "WPBSA Statement | Liang Wenbo". WPBSA. 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
123. Shaw, Jamie (11 August 2022). "Liang Wenbo at the centre of controversy on playing return at the British Open Qualifiers". livesnooker.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
124. "WPBSA Statement – Liang Wenbo". World Snooker. 27 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
125. "Liang Wenbo banned by WPBSA pending misconduct investigation". BBC Sport. 27 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
126. "Big bans may be handed out – snooker's largest match-fixing inquiry set to start". BreakingNews.ie. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
127. Huart, Matt (18 January 2023). "WPBSA Statement | 18 January 2023". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
128. "Snooker match-fixing claims set to be heard". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
129. "Sport Resolutions: In the matter of proceedings before a World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association Disciplinary Commission" (PDF). wpbsa.com. 6 June 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
130. Huart, Matt (6 June 2023). "WPBSA Statement | 6 June 2023". WPBSA. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
131. Hritika Sharma (2023). "China's governing body upholds lifetime bans for match-fixing". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
132. "中國桌球假波｜「富二代」趙心童成停賽第十人 中國前列球手滅團" ["Rich second generation" Zhao Xintong became the tenth suspended player and China's top players were eliminated]. 香港01 (in Chinese). 1 January 2023.
133. "涉「打假波」案 桌球手梁文博及李行終身禁賽 趙心童罰停賽20個月" [Liang Wenbo and Li Xing were banned for life for their involvement in the "anti-fixing" case and Zhao Xintong was suspended for 20 months]. 星島頭條.區區有申訴 (in Chinese). 7 June 2023.
134. "Liang Wenbo joins the Grove". Grove Leisure. 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
135. https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/liang-wenbo-left-of-china-poses-with-his-wife-chen-xuejiao-news-photo/500339798
136. "Liang Wenbo makes coronavirus prize money pledge". insidethegames.biz. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
137. "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
138. "Neil Robertson makes 147 and wins title". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
139. "Liang Wenbo wins first ranking title, beating Judd Trump". The Guardian. 16 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
140. "Campbell The Champ At EPTC3". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
141. Kalb, Rolf (24 October 2013). "Asian Tour - Liang Wenbo siegt in Zhengzhou" (in German). Eurosport DE. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
142. "Bingham Wins In Dongguan". World Snooker. 8 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
143. "Wenbo Bags first Professional title in the BTV Beijing Challenge". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
144. "Snooker: Ricky Walden wins General Cup International". The Flintshire Chronicle. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
145. "图文-香港台球邀请赛曹宇鹏获得冠军 小心架杆_综合体育_新浪竞技风暴_新浪网". Sina Corp. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
146. "Snooker at the World Games (2013)". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
147. "Stephen Maguire wins SangSom Six Red World Championship". Sky Sports. 12 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
148. "More Cue Sports Medals in 2009 Asian Indoor Games @ Vietnam". Cue Sports India. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
149. "China beat Northern Ireland in World Cup final". BBC Sport. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
150. "Plan Comes Together China's A-team". 9 July 2017. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
151. "斯诺克挑战赛中国9-26败北 奥沙利文双打胜丁梁" (in Chinese (China)). Sina Corp. 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
152. "Scotland beat China to win World Cup". BBC Sport. 30 June 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
153. "Past Champions". International Billiards and Snooker Federation. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.

External links

• Liang Wenbo at the World Snooker Tour (archived)
• Liang Wenbo at snooker.org

• 1987 births
• Living people
• Chinese snooker players
• People from Suihua
• Sportspeople from Heilongjiang
• Asian Games medalists in cue sports
• Asian Games gold medalists for China
• Asian Games silver medalists for China
• Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games
• Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games
• Cue sports players at the 2006 Asian Games
• Cue sports players at the 2010 Asian Games
• World Games silver medalists
• World Games medalists for China
• World Games medalists in cue sports
• 21st-century Chinese sportsmen
• Sportspeople banned for life
• Match fixers
• Medalists at the 2013 World Games