Catalano Makes World Seniors Debut

Former World Women’s Snooker (WWS) number one Maria Catalano made her debut at the WAYS Facilities Management World Seniors Snooker Championship on Thursday evening, losing out 3-0 to Egypt’s Wael Talaat at the Crucible Theatre.

Invited to the tournament by World Seniors Snooker having turned 40 back in February, Catalano took her place as one of the 24 players in a field that included several greats of the game including Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White and Ken Doherty.

Drawn against former professional Talaat, Catalano struggled to settle early in the match as her opponent secured a 2-0 lead with a top run of 81, but showed her ability in the third frame with an eye-catching 50 break of her own as she looked to extend the match.

Unfortunately for the five-time World Championship runner-up, it was Talaat who would ultimately snatch the frame on the pink to secure his place in the last 16 where he will face the evergreen Jimmy White.

For Catalano it was nevertheless an encouraging performance on debut and she will be hoping to make it back to the Crucible once again in the future to be able to show what she can do on the big stage.

Read more about her pre-match thoughts via The Star.