Iranian snooker player Hossein Vafaei has advanced to the World Championship quarter-finals, overcoming world number one Judd Trump in an emotion-charged run he hopes will bring solace to his nation.
Vafaei, the world number 32 and nicknamed the “Prince of Persia”, revealed he has been “all over the place” mentally in recent months due to the ongoing Iran war, which led him to question his participation in tournaments.
Despite these struggles, he opted to “fight for my people”, successfully navigating qualifying rounds to reach the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. There, he delivered a significant upset in the first round, thrashing former semi-finalist Si Jiahui 10-3.
His journey continued on Monday with perhaps the most significant victory of his career, maintaining composure in a tense final-frame decider to defeat Trump 13-12 and secure his first-ever quarter-final berth.
Reflecting on his mixed emotions, Vafaei stated: “I don’t know (whether) to be happy. I don’t know (whether) to be sad. I don’t know what to do. It’s just, this is the only thing I can do. With my cue, I can do something for them to make them happy at least. To show that the Iran flag is there… and you still can’t raise it.”
The snooker star admitted that concerns for his family’s safety during the conflict have made it difficult to focus on the game.
“I was getting sometimes sad, with what’s happening,” he explained. “And I don’t want to open up, but yes, I decided to fight, fight for my people, and all the Iranians all over the world. And hopefully I can make them happy.”
When asked about representing a cause beyond sport, Vafaei emphasised the sincerity of his actions: “I am not thinking about all this. Everything I am doing is from the bottom of my heart. There are lots of things going on (in Iran). Even if I win the trophy, it’s nothing.”
Vafaei is set to face China’s Wu Yize in the quarter-finals, which commence on Tuesday.
