Marco Fu Ka-chun, born on 8 January 1978, is a Hong Kong professional snooker player nicknamed the 'Wonder Boy' and widely regarded as Hong Kong's most successful cueist. He moved to Canada with his family as a youth, where he took up the game and showed a natural gift. He turned professional in 1998 and in his debut season reached the final of the Grand Prix — the lowest-ranked player in history (337th) to reach a ranking final — losing 2-9 to Stephen Lee. His highest world ranking is No. 5, and he has won three ranking titles: the 2007 Grand Prix (beating Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-6 in the final), the 2013 Australian Open and the 2016 Scottish Open (beating John Higgins 9-4). He has reached the semi-finals of the World Championship in 2006 and 2016, and played two Triple Crown finals, losing the 2008 UK Championship 9-10 to Shaun Murphy and the 2011 Masters to Ding Junhui. He has compiled five 147 maximum breaks, among them one against Higgins in the deciding frame of their 2022 Hong Kong Masters semi-final, counted by many as one of the finest maximums in the sport. At the same event he reached the final, losing 4-6 to O'Sullivan before a crowd of about 9,000 at the Hong Kong Coliseum, a world record for a snooker match. He has long coped with retinal degeneration in his left eye while continuing to compete, and published his autobiography, 147 Life, in 2017.
Marco Fu is the emblem of Hong Kong snooker's professional turn, reaching a ranking final as an unknown debutant in 1998 and drawing new attention to the local game; three ranking titles, a long stay among the world's best and his home-soil 147 in 2022 lifted Hong Kong snooker's profile and inspired a following generation.
Achievements
- 1998 · Turned professional and reached the Grand Prix final, the lowest-ranked player ever to reach a ranking final
- 2007 · Won the Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-6 in the final for his first ranking title
- 2016 · Won the Scottish Open, beating John Higgins 9-4 in the final
- 2022 · Made a 147 maximum break in the Hong Kong Masters semi-final and reached the final