Fridman finds form at U21 worlds
FOR young snooker players there is no bigger stage than the IBSF U21 Snooker World Championships, and Australian representative Marc Fridman had the thrill of competing in the 2019 edition earlier this month in Qingdao, China.
FOR young snooker players there is no bigger stage than the IBSF U21 Snooker World Championships, and Australian representative Marc Fridman had the thrill of competing in the 2019 edition earlier this month in Qingdao, China.
The Melburnian year 12 student at Cheltenham Secondary College – who won the 2018 Australian U18 Snooker Championships – had a solid tournament, winning three of his six matches.
Unfazed by two first-up losses, Fridman kept his nerve to outclass South Africa’s Kurshan Moodley 3-0, and then came from behind to snatch a thrilling 3-2 victory against China’s Ma Hailong in a match that lasted more than three hours, to progress to the knockout stage.
His winning run continued with a hard-fought 3-2 result against Hong Kong’s Langyi Ryan, but China’s Peng Yisong proved too good in the following Round of 32 fixture, beating Fridman 4-0.
Fridman said he was proud to become the only player from Oceania to progress that deep into the tournament, and said the experience will help him towards his goal of becoming a professional snooker player.
“It’s tough to win at this level, but I had some great matches, and my game and ability seemed to lift,” Fridman said.
SHANE DESIATNIK
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