Yu Delu (; born 11 October 1987) is a former professional

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

player from the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. He is currently serving a 10 years and 9 months ban for

match-fixing In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, ...

from 25 May 2018 until 24 February 2029. The ban was announced on 1 December 2018 after the result of a lengthy investigation.

Career

Early career

Yu made his first appearance at the China Open as a wild card in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. He defeated

Andrew Norman Andrew Norman (born October 31, 1979) is an American composer of contemporary classical music whose texturally complex music is influenced by architecture and the visual arts. His string trio '' The Companion Guide to Rome'' (2010), was a runne ...

, before losing to

Graeme Dott Graeme Dott (born 12 May 1977) is a Scottish professional snooker player and snooker coach from Larkhall. He turned professional in 1994 and first entered the top 16 in 2001. He has won two ranking titles, the 2006 World Snooker Championship a ...

in the last 32. He was awarded a wild card for every China Open event between 2006 and 2011, and for the first three Shanghai Masters events in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He recorded a

maximum break A maximum break (also known as a maximum, a 147, or orally, a one-four-seven) is the highest possible in a single of snooker. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 with 15 for 120 points, followed by all six for a further 27 ...

during a China Snooker Professional Tour event in ZhengZhou against Jin Long on 20 September 2009. This made him the first person to score a 147 on the China Professional Tour. However, it is not recorded by World Snooker Association.

Debut season

He was awarded a place on the 2011–12 professional Main Tour as a wildcard by

World Snooker The World Snooker Tour (WST) is the main professional snooker tour, consisting of approximately 128 players competing on a circuit of up to 28 tournaments each season. The World Snooker Tour is administered by World Snooker Ltd, the commercial ar ...

. In Yu's first ranking event qualifier, the

Australian Goldfields Open The Australian Goldfields Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament. The final champion was John Higgins in 2015. History Australia had previously hosted the 1971 and 1975 World Snooker Championships, as well as several other high-pr ...

he beat Michael White 5–4, Joe Swail 5–1 and Joe Jogia 5–2 before losing in the final qualifying round 5–0 to Ryan Day. Later in the season, he came through three qualifying matches to reach the wild-card round of the

German Masters The German Masters is a professional ranking snooker tournament held at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany since 2011. The 2021 event was held at Milton Keynes in England because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Zhao Xintong is the reigning champion, h ...

where he beat

Chris Norbury Christopher Norbury (born 14 August 1986) is an English former professional snooker player. He began his professional career by playing Challenge Tour in 2003, at the time the second-level professional tour. Norbury first entered Main Tour fo ...

5–3. The result meant that he played in the main draw of a ranking event outside of China for the first time. Yu drew compatriot

Ding Junhui Ding Junhui (; born 1 April 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, he has won 14 major ranking titles, including three UK Championships (2005 ...

in the last 32 and pulled off the result of his career to date as he won the first three frames before once again closing out the match 5–3. He couldn't replicate his form in the last 16, however, as he was beaten 2–5 by Stephen Lee. Yu reached the final qualifying round in three of the last four ranking events, losing to Andrew Higginson in the World Open and to seven-time world champion

Stephen Hendry Stephen Gordon Hendry (born 13 January 1969) is a Scottish professional snooker player who dominated the sport during the 1990s, becoming one of the most successful players in its history. After turning professional in 1985 at age 16, Hendry ...

in both the China Open and

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. He was therefore one of the Scot's last opponents before his retirement. Yu also had a good season in the minor-ranking

Players Tour Championship The Players Tour Championship was a series of snooker tournaments comprising some minor-ranking events played in Europe, and an Asian leg comprising some minor-ranking events in Asia. The series concluded with a Grand Final, where qualification ...

series as he played in 11 of the 12 events, picking up two quarter-finals and two last 16 finishes to be placed 34th on the PTC

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

. He finished his debut season ranked world number 58, inside the top 64 who guarantee their places for the 2012–13 season. Yu was also the highest ranked out of all the new players on the tour.

2012/2013 season

Yu had a disappointing 2012/2013 season as he could not qualify for any of the ranking events. He played in nine of the ten

during the year, with his best finishes being three last 32 defeats to see him placed 63rd on the Order of Merit. Yu did have an upturn in form in World Championship Qualifying, by defeating Ian Burns 10–2 and

Jamie Burnett Jamie Burnett (born 16 September 1975) is a Scottish former professional snooker player from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. A journeyman, Burnett was ranked within the world's top 64 players for 20 consecutive years between 1996 and 2016, reac ...

10–6. His break of 140 against Burnett was the joint highest of his career to date and the second highest of the qualifying tournament. Yu faced Mark King, just one match away from reaching the

Crucible A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. While crucibles were historically usually made from clay, they can be made from any material that withstands te ...

for the first time, and led 8–6 and 9–8, but lost the 18th frame on the colours and the deciding frame to be defeated 9–10. His ranking increased 11 places during the year to end it at world number 47.

2013/2014 season

Yu lost in the first round of both the Indian Open and Shanghai Masters, before winning his first match in a ranking event at the

UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan h ...

with a 6–3 victory over

David Grace David Grace (born 1949 in Rugby, Warwickshire, England) is a British racing driver and businessman. He was the CEO at Rockingham Motor Speedway between 2000 and 2002, and oversaw the opening of the track and the return, after many years, of CART ...

. His second round match against

Matthew Stevens Matthew Stevens (born 11 September 1977) is a Welsh professional snooker player. He has won two of the game's Triple Crown events, the Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been a two-time runner-up in the other triple ...

went into a deciding frame which lasted 40 minutes and hinged on a safety battle that Stevens won on the final pink. Yu played in all four of the

Asian Tour The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Official money events on the tour count for Wor ...

events and lost 4–1 to

Alan McManus Alan McManus (born 21 January 1971) is a Scottish retired professional snooker player and current commentator who works for Eurosport. A mainstay of the world's top sixteen during the 1990s and 2000s, he has won two ranking events, the 1994 Du ...

in the quarter-finals of the Yixing Open, with his only frame coming courtesy of a 117 break. At the final event, the Dongguan Open, Yu advanced to the semi-finals where he was beaten 4–2 by

Liang Wenbo Liang Wenbo (; born 25 March 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player based at the Oracle Snooker Club, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. Liang, who plays left-handed, has reached one Triple Crown final, made three Masters appearances, and ...

. His results saw him finish ninth on the Asian Order of Merit to claim the final spot in the Players Tour Championship Finals. There, he exacted revenge over Wenbo by winning their first round clash 4–2. He recorded the best result of his career to date in the next round by restricting reigning world champion

Ronnie O'Sullivan Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player who is the current world champion and world number one. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in the sport's history, ...

to just two points from 3–2 down to win 4–3. In Yu's first ranking event quarter-final of his career, he was unable to recapture his prior form and was beaten 4–1 by

Barry Hawkins Barry Hawkins (born 23 April 1979) is an English professional snooker player from Ditton, Kent. He turned professional in 1996, but only rose to prominence in the 2004–05 snooker season, when he reached the last 16 of the 2004 UK Championsh ...

. Yu continued his recent good play into the China Open with wins against Duane Jones and

James Wattana James Wattana (; born January 17, 1970, as วัฒนา ภู่โอบอ้อม ''Wattana Pu-Ob-Orm'', then renamed รัชพล ภู่โอบอ้อม ''Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm'' in 2003) is a Thai former professional snooker pl ...

to face

Neil Robertson Neil Robertson (born 11 February 1982) is an Australian professional snooker player who is a former world champion and former world number one. The only Australian to have won a ranking event, he is also the only player from outside the United ...

in the third round. The match lasted four hours with Yu just being edged out 5–4.

2014/2015 season

Yu lost in the quarter-finals of the Yixing Open for the second year in a row, this time 4–1 to Ryan Day. He qualified for the

Wuxi Classic The Wuxi Classic was a professional snooker tournament held from 2008 to 2014 in the city of Wuxi, China. It was a ranking event from 2012 through 2014. For the 2015/16 season, World Snooker reduced the number of ranking events held in China, whi ...

but was beaten 5–4 by Yan Bingtao in the wildcard round, and lost 6–1 to

Shaun Murphy Shaun Peter Murphy (born 10 August 1982) is an English professional snooker player who won the 2005 World Snooker Championship, 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight Cue stick, cue action and his lo ...

in the opening round of the International Championship. Yu recorded his first win of the year at a ranking event by knocking out

Oliver Lines Oliver Lines (born 16 June 1995) is an English professional snooker player who practices at Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds. He is the son of professional snooker player Peter Lines. Career Amateur Lines switched sports from football to snook ...

6–2 in the

and, though he led 3–0, he would be beaten 6–4 by

Stephen Maguire Stephen Maguire (born 13 March 1981) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won six major ranking tournaments, including the 2004 UK Championship, and has twice since reached the finals of that event. Maguire turned professional i ...

in the second round. He received a bye through to the second round of the Welsh Open and was thrashed 4–0 by Joe Perry. In Yu's deciding frame of his first round match at the Indian Open he led

Ben Woollaston Ben Woollaston (born 14 May 1987) is an English professional snooker player from Leicester. His sole professional title came at the minor-ranking third Players Tour Championship event in 2011. Woollaston's only ranking event final came at the ...

67–0, before the Englishman made a 67 break and won the respotted black. Yu closed out the season with a 5–3 loss to

John Higgins John Higgins, (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won 31 career ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (39) and Stephen Hendry ( ...

in the first round of the China Open and reached the final round of

qualifying where he was defeated 10–7 by

2015/2016 season

A 6–1 victory over

Chris Melling Christopher "Mello" Melling (born 21 September 1984) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played at representative level for England (Under-16s, and Under-18s), and as a for Great Bri ...

saw Yu qualify for the International Championship and he knocked out reigning world champion

Stuart Bingham Stuart Bingham (born 21 May 1976) is an English professional snooker player who is a former world and Masters champion. Bingham won the 1996 World Amateur Championship but enjoyed little sustained success in the early part of his professional ...

6–2 in the first round. He was edged out 6–5 by

in the next round. Another second round exit followed at the

, 6–0 at the hands of

Marco Fu Marco Fu Ka-chun, MH, JP (, born 8 January 1978) is a Hong Kong professional snooker player. He is a three-time snooker world rankings, ranking event winner, having won the 2007 Grand Prix (snooker), 2007 Grand Prix, the 2013 Australian ...

. A trio of deciding frame victories over

Ian Glover Ian Glover (born 8 November 1978) is a former professional snooker player from Doncaster. He practises at the Jeff Cundy snooker centre in Scunthorpe and the Sheffield Star Snooker Academy. His practice partners are the club's owner Jeff Cundy, ...

Ricky Walden Ricky Walden (born 11 November 1982) is an English professional snooker player from Chester. Walden turned professional in 2000 and it took him eight years to win his first ranking title at the Shanghai Masters. He has since won the 2012 Wuxi ...

and

Dechawat Poomjaeng Dechawat Poomjaeng ( ''Dechāwạt Phùmcæ̂ng'', born July 11, 1978) is a Thai professional snooker player. Career Early career He won the 2010 IBSF World Snooker Championship in Damascus, Syria, defeating India's Pankaj Advani 10–7 in the ...

saw Yu reach the last 16 of the Welsh Open, his deepest run a ranking event this season, and he lost 4–1 to

. In the first round of the China Open Yu lost 5–2 to Fu and he fell at the first hurdle in

qualifying 10–9 to

Paul Davison Paul S. Davison (born 1 October 1971) is an English former professional snooker player from Pickering, North Yorkshire. First earning a place on the World Snooker Tour in 1992, he played on the tour until 1997, and has since regained his place o ...

. He just held on to his top 64 ranking and therefore his tour place as he was 63rd in the world.

2016/2017 season

Yu could not win a first round match in the 2016–17 season until the ninth event when he beat Ding Junhui 4–2 at the Northern Ireland Open, before losing 4–1 to

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

. He reached the third round of the

by defeating

Nigel Bond Nigel Bond (born 15 November 1965) is an English former professional snooker player. Bond competed on the main tour from 1989 to 2022, and was ranked within the world's top 16 players between 1992 and 1999, peaking at 5th for the 1996–97 s ...

6–3 and Stuart Bingham 6–4, but lost 6–1 to

Luca Brecel Luca Brecel (born 8 March 1995) is a Belgian professional snooker player. He won the European Under-19 title at the age of 14 and went on to break Stephen Hendry's record as the youngest player ever to compete at the Crucible Theatre. He made hi ...

. At the Scottish Open, Yu reached the semi-finals for the first time in his career in a ranking tournament, beating

Josh Boileau Josh Boileau (born 2 July 1995 in Newbridge, County Kildare) is a former Irish professional snooker player. He is the 2016 Under-21 European Snooker Champion. Career In 2014 Boileau entered the EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championships in B ...

Mark Joyce Mark Joyce (born 11 August 1983) is an English professional snooker player who lives in Walsall. He began his professional career by playing Challenge Tour in 2003. Joyce enjoyed an outstanding amateur career, winning the European Under-19 Cha ...

, Daniel Wells, Sean O'Sullivan and Liang Wenbo, all in final frame deciders. He was defeated by

, the eventual winner of the tournament, 6–1 in the semi-finals. Yu was eliminated 5–3 by Michael White in the first round of the China Open and got through to the final

qualifying round, but lost 10–7 to

Martin Gould Martin Gould (born 14 September 1981) is an English professional snooker player from Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. He has appeared in four ranking finals and won one ranking title, the 2016 German Masters. Career Gould began his prof ...

2018/2019 season

On 25 May 2018, he was suspended from the tour for suspected match fixing. After a lengthy investigation, Yu was found guilty of match fixing and received a ban for 10 years and 9 months on 1 December 2018.

Performance and rankings timeline

References

External links

Yu Delu
at ''worldsnooker.com'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Delu 1987 births Chinese snooker players Living people Sportspeople from Shanxi Match fixers Banned sportspeople