Why Nutcharut 'Mink' Wongharuthai is 'perfect flagbearer' for snooker's future after Women's World Championship win

Nutcharut Wongharuthai, a 22 year-old from Thailand commonly known as ‘Mink,’ seems the perfect flagbearer for helping snooker become more visibly diverse and representative of further than just its largely male, British base. Mink won a dramatic women’s world final on Monday night, recovering from 5-3 down to beat Wendy Jans 6-5 on the last black. Ad/> The championship was staged at the Ding Junhui Academy in Sheffield with the final streamed on Facebook.

The first prize was £6,000. SnookerWongharuthai produces stunning comeback to win first Women's World Championship and earn tour card13 HOURS AGO This may have been a world away from the Players Championship final on Sunday, in which Neil Robertson pocketed £125,000 watched by TV viewers around the world, but Mink’s reward is a place on the professional circuit next season where she could be pitted against the sport’s star names. Mink’s promise has been plain to see.

Three years ago she reached the last women’s world final to be played before the pandemic hit. She made a 147 in 2019, recently reached the quarter-finals of a Q Tour event, beating several male players en route, and won the women’s British Open last month. Winning the world title will considerably raise her own profile and can hopefully generate wider interest in snooker as a whole.

Wongharuthai produces stunning comeback to win World Championship Hendry: 'Winning machine' Robertson will be judged on world titles There is no men’s game. The professional tour is open to men and women equally but historically participation levels have massively favoured male players. The first women’s professional championship was staged in 1934 and won by Ruth Harrison.