Leo Fernandez Explained

Leo Fernandez
Birth Date:	5 July 1976
Birth Place:	County Limerick, Ireland
Professional:	1995–1997, 1998–2001, 2002–2006, 2007/2008, 2016–2018
High Ranking:	67 (2004–05)
Best Finish:	Last 16 (x1)

Leo Fernandez (born 5 July 1976 in Limerick) is an Irish former professional snooker player.

Snooker career

Fernandez's best ranking event progress was reaching the last 16 of the 2003 Welsh Open, defeating opponents including fellow Irishman Fergal O'Brien and Mark King.^[1] He qualified for the 1999 World Championship but drew Ronnie O'Sullivan and lost 10–3. He also reached the final qualifying round in 2004, losing 10–8 to Dominic Dale. He was Jamie Burnett's opponent in 2004 UK Championship qualifying when Burnett scored a 148 break, the first ever break in excess of 147 in a professional match.^{[2] [3]}

As an amateur, Fernandez reached the final of English Amateur Championship in 2010, losing to Jack Lisowski, playing in the tournament again in 2011 and winning the title, victorious 10–6 in the final over John Whitty. He entered the 2015 Q School and made it to the final round of the first event before losing 4–1 to Rhys Clark.^[4] In October 2015, Fernandez played in the Asian Tour, and reached quarter-finals of the Haining Open before losing 4–1 to world number 11 Ricky Walden.^[5] This need being enough for Fernandez to qualify the main tour, however Fernandez was suspended from the sport of snooker for a period of 15 months following corruption charges and would not be eligible to participate in snooker events before 27 August 2017.^{[6] [7]}

In November 2017, Fernandez beat the world number three player Ding Junhui in the UK Championship coming from 5-1 behind to defeat the two-time former UK Champion 6–5 at the York Barbican.^{[8] [9]}

Personal life

Fernandez was born in Limerick, Ireland, but lives in Kendal England.^[10]

Match fixing ban

Fernandez was given a 15-month ban by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in July 2016 for admitting to a breach of their corruption rules.^[11]

After suspicious betting was placed on who would commit the first foul in the first frame, Fernandez admitted to playing that shot intentionally in order to aid those who had placed the bets in question. He was banned from 27 May 2016 to 27 August 2017, while he was fined €2,000 and made to assist the WPBSA in its anti-corruption education work.^[12]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament	1995/ 96	1996/ 97	1997/ 98	1998/ 99	1999/ 00	2000/ 01	2001/ 02	2002/ 03	2003/ 04	2004/ 05	2005/ 06	2007/ 08			2013/ 14	2015/ 16	2016/ 17	2017/ 18	2018/ 19	2019/ 20	2020/ 21	2021/ 22
Ranking^[13] ^[14]	^[15]	214	^[16]	155	81	71			72	67	74		^[17]					^[18]
Ranking tournaments
Championship League	Tournament Not Held											Non-Ranking Event									RR	RR
British Open	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	2R	LQ	A	LQ	WD	LQ	Tournament Not Held											A
Northern Ireland Open	Tournament Not Held																A	1R	A	A	A	A
English Open	Tournament Not Held																A	1R	A	A	A	A
UK Championship	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	1R	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	A	A	1R	A	2R	A	A	1R	A
Scottish Open^[19]	LQ	LQ	A	2R	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	Tournament Not Held							A	1R	A	A	A	A
World Grand Prix	Tournament Not Held															DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
Shoot-Out	Tournament Not Held												Non-Ranking Event				A	1R	A	A	2R	2R
German Masters^[20]	LQ	LQ	A	NR	Tournament Not Held								A	A	A	A	A	LQ	A	A	LQ	A
Players Championship^[21]	Tournament Not Held												DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
European Masters^[22]	1R	LQ	NH	LQ	Not Held		A	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	NR	Tournament Not Held				A	A	A	A	A	A
Welsh Open	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	2R	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	A	A	2R	A	1R	A	A	A	A
Turkish Masters	Tournament Not Held																					A
Gibraltar Open	Tournament Not Held															MR	A	1R	1R	LQ	2R	1R
Tour Championship	Tournament Not Held																		DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
World Championship	LQ	LQ	LQ	1R	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	A	A	LQ	A	LQ	A	A	LQ	A
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
Former ranking tournaments
Asian Classic^[23]	LQ	LQ	Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix	Non-Ranking Event				LQ	NR	Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters^[24]	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	NR	Tournament Not Held			NR	Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters	Non-Ranking Event							LQ	LQ	LQ	NH	Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy	Tournament Not Held										NR	LQ	Tournament Not Held
Australian Goldfields Open^[25]	NR	Tournament Not Held												A	A	LQ	Tournament Not Held
Shanghai Masters	Tournament Not Held											LQ	A	A	A	LQ	A	LQ	Non-Ranking		Not Held
Paul Hunter Classic^[26]	Tournament Not Held									Pro-am Event			Minor-Ranking Event				A	A	A	NR	Not Held
Indian Open	Tournament Not Held														A	NH	WD	A	LQ	Tournament Not Held
China Open^[27]	Not Held		NR	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	Not Held		LQ	LQ	LQ	A	A	A	LQ	A	LQ	A	Tournament Not Held
Riga Masters^[28]	Tournament Not Held															MR	WD	A	A	A	Not Held
International Championship	Tournament Not Held														A	LQ	A	LQ	A	A	Not Held
China Championship	Tournament Not Held																NR	A	A	A	Not Held
World Open^[29]	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	1R	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	2R	LQ	LQ	A	A	A	NH	WD	A	A	A	Not Held
WST Pro Series	Tournament Not Held																				RR	NH
Former Non-ranking tournaments
Irish Professional Championship	Tournament Not Held										QF	1R	Tournament Not Held

Performance Table Legend
LQ	lost in the qualifying draw	R	lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)	QF	lost in the quarter-finals
SF	lost in the semi-finals	F	lost in the final	W	won the tournament
DNQ	did not qualify for the tournament	A	did not participate in the tournament	WD	withdrew from the tournament

NH / Not Held				means an event was not held
NR / Non-Ranking Event				means an event is/was no longer a ranking event
R / Ranking Event				means an event is/was a ranking event
MR / Minor-Ranking Event				means an event is/was a minor-ranking event
PA / Pro-am Event				means an event is/was a pro-am event

Career finals

Non-ranking finals: 3 (2 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2001	WPBSA Open Tour - Event 2	Brian Morgan	2–5
Winner	1.	2001	Challenge Tour - Event 2	Ryan Day	6–3
Winner	2.	2019	World Seniors Tour Finals	James O'Sullivan	4–2

Pro-am finals: 4 (3 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	2007	Pontins Spring Open	Daniel Wells	5–2
Winner	2.	2007	Pontins Pro-Am - Event 2	Dominic Dale	4–2^[30]
Runner-up	1.	2008	Pontins Autumn Open	Craig Steadman	0–5
Winner	3.	2011	Pontins Spring Open (2)		5–1

Amateur finals: 5 (3 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	2003	English Open	Craig Butler	8–7^[31]
Winner	2.	2006	PIOS – Event 3	Lee Walker	6–5
Runner-up	1.	2010			2–9
Winner	3.	2011			10–6
Runner-up	2.	2023	(2)	Paul Deaville	2–6

Notes and References

1. Web site: Leo Fernandez - Profile . World Snooker . 21 October 2015 . 14 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160214173800/http://www.worldsnooker.com/players/leo-fernandez/ . live .
2. News: Scot Burnett compiles 148 break. BBC Sport. 20 October 2015. 16 October 2004. 1 May 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090501223954/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/3750162.stm. live.
3. News: Burnett's break goes one better. Guardian News and Media. The Guardian. 20 October 2015. 18 October 2004. 6 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906163408/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/oct/18/snooker.cliveeverton. live.
4. News: Snooker star narrowly misses out on tour place. Johnston Publishing. Hastings Observer. 20 October 2015. 19 May 2015. 24 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150524011650/http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker-star-narrowly-misses-out-on-tour-place-1-6752139. live.
5. Web site: Fernandez Run Ended but Main Tour Hopes Remain Alive. Snooker HQ. 20 October 2015. 23 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151023025413/http://snookerhq.com/2015/10/22/fernandez-run-ended-but-main-tour-hopes-remain-alive/. live.
6. News: Leo Fernandez handed 15-month ban after admitting corruption charge. BBC Sport. 6 July 2016. 6 July 2016. 7 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160707072431/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/36722680. live.
7. News: Leo Fernandez is suspended from snooker for 15 months. Sky Sports. 6 July 2016. 6 July 2016. 10 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160710102858/http://www.skysports.com/more-sports/snooker/news/12243/10457164/leo-fernandez-is-suspended-from-snooker-for-15-months. live.
8. News: Limerick's Leo Fernandez scores sensational comeback win at UK Snooker Championship. Limerick Leader. 28 November 2017. 29 November 2017. 1 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042314/http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/sport/284365/limerick-s-leo-fernandez-scores-sensational-comeback-win-at-uk-snooker-chanpionship.html. live.
9. News: UK Snooker Championship 2017: Ding Junhui loses to world number 130 Leo Fernandez. BBC Sport. 28 November 2017. 29 November 2017. 1 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180601111657/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/42160203. live.
10. Web site: Leo Fernandez. O'Sullivan's Snooker & Pool Club. 20 October 2015. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082853/http://www.osullivanssnookerclub.com/Leo_Fernandez.html. live.
11. Web site: WPBSA . WPBSA statement: Leo Fernandez . 6 July 2016 . 30 November 2023 . 10 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610182854/https://wpbsa.com/wpbsa-statement-leo-fernandez-2/ . live .
12. Web site: Irish snooker player banned for 15 months after admitting to spot-fixing. The42.ie. Ben Blake. 6 July 2016. Journal Media. 14 April 2018. 14 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180414234706/http://www.the42.ie/irish-snooker-leo-fernandez-suspended-spot-fixing-2864327-Jul2016/. live.
13. Web site: Ranking History. Hermund Årdalen. Snooker.org. 6 February 2011. 19 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181219070820/http://www.snooker.org/Rnk/history.asp. live.
14. From the 2010/2011 season it shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
15. New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking
16. He was not on the Main Tour
17. He was an amateur
18. He was suspended from the start of the previous season for 15 months and began this season without ranking points
19. The event was called the International Open (1995/1996–1996/1997) and the Players Championship (2003/2004)
20. The event was called the German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)
21. The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2010/2011–2012/2013) and the Players Championship Grand Final (2013/2014–2015/2016)
22. The event was called the European Open (1995/1996-1996/1997 & 2001/2002-2003/2004), Irish Open (1998/1999) Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)
23. The event was called the Thailand Classic (1995/1996)
24. The event was called the Thailand Open (1995/1996–1996/1997)
25. The event was called the Australian Masters (1995/1996)
26. The event was called the Grand Prix Fürth (2004/2005) and the Fürth German Open (2005/2006–2006/2007)
27. The event was called the China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)
28. The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)
29. The event was called the Grand Prix (1995/1996–2000/2001 and 2004/2005–2009/2010), the LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004) and the Haikou World Open (2011/2012–2013/2014)
30. Web site: 2007 Pontins Pro-Am – Event 2. Global Snooker Centre. https://web.archive.org/web/20080314104059/http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Results/2007-8/07-8-Pontins/2007-Pro-Am-2.htm. 14 March 2008.
31. Web site: Other Tournaments Until 2020. bgsnooker.com. 3 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103074138/http://bgsnooker.com/blog/%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B8/%D0%B4%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B8-%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B8/%D0%B4%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B8-%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D1%82-2010/#t4. 3 January 2018. dead.