I want to break the glass ceiling: Hong Kong snooker queen Ng On-yee determined to compete with the men
Women’s world champion will play seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry and former world number two Jimmy White in exhibition matches at next week’s Hong Kong Masters
Hong Kong’s two-time world snooker champion Ng On-yee believes a woman can compete with the men on the world tour one day – and that woman can be her.
At 26, Ng owns a snooker CV that is the envy of most players, but she will not rest as the greatest challenge is ahead of her.
“Snooker has long been dominated by the men and it’s very difficult for women to get their feet in,” said Ng. “Physically, there is a gap as the men have much stronger cue power so they can maintain their accuracy better.
“Also, there are limited opportunities for women. The number of women’s tournaments hardly compares to the men, and without adequate playing opportunities and the opportunities to play against better players, how can you make the required progress to make the grade?
“But I think this is just a social factor, which means it can be changed one day with more effort from the concerned parties to improve the equality of snooker and encourage more females into the game.”
Ng will again get her chance to compete against the opposite sex at next week’s Hong Kong Masters where she will play seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry and former world number two Jimmy White in exhibition matches.