Marco Fu likely to retain place on pro snooker tour despite drop in ranking caused by Covid-19 pandemic inactivity
- World governing body chief Jason Ferguson says Fu was hindered by travel restrictions out of Hong Kong and is likely to receive an invitational tour card
- Fu, a former world No 5, has dropped to 72 in the world but still plays ‘like a top 15 player’, according to HKSI coach David Roe
Hong Kong’s former world No 5 Marco Fu Ka-chun is expected to be given a special invitational card to compete as a professional in the 2021/22 World Snooker Tour (WST) season after dropping out of the top 64 and losing his right to an automatic place.
Fu and other Hong Kong players have been unable to travel to the United Kingdom to compete in tournaments and maintain their rankings because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the Hong Kong Sports Institute medical staff opting to play it safe.
As a result, Fu has dropped to 72 but World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) chairman Jason Ferguson said the Hong Kong player was likely to retain his place on the tour.
“It is highly likely Marco will receive an invitational tour card due to travel restrictions and not being able to compete,” Ferguson told the Post. “We are likely to have all this signed off very quickly now.”
Fu has been a professional for more than 20 years and is a popular figure on the world tour. He has won three ranking tournaments, compiled 500 career century breaks and has managed to maintain his place among the top 16 players in the world until more than a year ago.
Ferguson’s assurance comes a day after the WPBSA said that Hong Kong’s three-time women’s world champion Ng On-yee would make history and become the first Asian woman to play on the WST.
Ng and 12-time world champion Reanne Evans, who had one season on the tour 10 years ago, were given a two-year tour card for the next season, with the World Women’s Tour to be used as a feeder circuit for the WST.
David Roe, a former pro player who coaches at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, posted a tweet saying Fu is still a top-notch player.
“[I] watch him in Sports Institute every week and still looks like a top 16 performer. No brainer for me,” he wrote.
In November last year, Fu completed a blistering 147 break in six and a half minutes in what is believed to be one of the fastest maximums captured on film. A few days later he hit a rare 148 break after being given a free ball by his opponent Chau Hon-man during a practice match.
On Wednesday, Ferguson was quoted by the UK’s Metro as saying: “There is a problem with travel out of Hong Kong at the moment, it’s extremely complicated and it’s purely down to safety measures.
“That’s why we’ve not had Marco Fu coming over who we’ve dearly missed, a great guy and a great player. Marco couldn’t travel, he was prevented from competing and I think our recommendation there is that an invitational tour card will be put in place for Marco.”
