Anupama Ramachandran Q&A

India’s Anupama Ramachandran broke new ground at the recent US Women’s Snooker Open as she reached her first ranking event final on the World Women’s Snooker Tour, with victories against two of the world’s top four players along the way.

We caught up with the former world under-21 champion and World Cup winner ahead of this weekend’s Taom UK Women’s Snooker Championship to reflect on her breakthrough run which has left her on the cusp of a place inside of the world’s top 10 for the first time in her career.

We also learn more about her snooker background and her off-table hobbies…

Hi Anupama, congratulations on reaching your first WWS Tour ranking event final at the US Open – how happy are you with this achievement?

I am quite pleased! The US Open was a memorable and exciting tournament for me in more ways then one.

You have been knocking on the door of a big run previously with four consecutive quarter-final appearances, so did you feel that a big result was coming?

I never really thought on these lines… I was hoping to do my best and enjoy the game but having broken the barrier of a quarter-final finish is definitely a boost to my confidence.

It must have also been extra special to have reached the final with wins against two of the top four ranked players in the world, in particular against Mink Nutcharut who has been so successful on Tour in recent years?

Yes, Mink has been in great form and was also the defending champion in the US Open. I had previously played Mink in the quarter-finals in Albania which didn’t go my way… When I was drawn against Mink this time, I knew I could not afford to make even small mistakes.

This was the first time I played against Rebecca Kenna individually. I had played Rebecca and Reanne’s team in the World Cup at Bangkok and knew that it was not going to be easy.

How did you find the experience of playing snooker in the United States for the first time?

It was just great and I managed without much jet lag either!

The venue, Ox Billiards was very different from the other WWS ranking event venues. It was a very comfortable environment, Mike and team were very hospitable and with fewer number of players, we got to interact a lot amongst ourselves and with the hosts as well.

And we also understand that you have family in the area so it was an extra special week to be able to see them – tell us more about that and what you got up to away from the baize.

I got to meet my Aunt’s family after five years and had an enjoyable time going around with my cousins. This tournament gave me an opportunity to take a much needed week long break. I always enjoy nature over buildings and so we went around to explore nature spots around Seattle – anyways, I had already visited downtown attractions during my previous trip.

You joined the WWS Tour for the first time in 2023, winning the World Cup and World Under-21 Championships aged 21. Tell us about your snooker journey so far, how you first became interested in the game and realised that you had a talent for it.

I got introduced to snooker through a summer coaching camp in our local Mylapore Club in 2015. The options I had were chess and snooker. I knew about chess but was curious to know how snooker was played. And Lo, the coach seemed happy with my progress and suggested I give it a serious try.

I enrolled in the State Championships the same year and the National Championships the following year.

How special was it to be able to win those tournaments in Thailand and did that give you the confidence that you have the potential to succeed on the Tour?

The Thailand tournaments were my debut on the Tour – I didn’t quite imagine that I would be a regular on the Tour. But that exposure brought a deep desire in me to take part actively in the various ranking events to follow.

You now compete regularly on the WWS Tour and have risen to the fringes of the world’s top 10 already – how impressed are you by the standard of play and what are your ambitions in the sport?

The standard is definitely quite high and it is only getting better. Competing here would mean I work with continued focus and I certainly hope to take part in more ranking tournaments to improve my ranking in the future.

How would you describe yourself as a player for those that have not seen you play before, any particular strengths of your game that you would highlight?

I am a player who usually likes to thoroughly enjoy my game and go shot by shot. I would like to think that is my biggest strength.

Who is your favourite snooker player, do you have any role models in the game that you look up to?

Mark Selby and Judd Trump. I love to watch as many snooker matches as I can but these two are my all-time favourites.

What do you like to do when not playing snooker?

I am currently pursuing an accounting course and spend time off the table on that. I also enjoy listening to music and watching my favourite shows.

What would you say to women who might be interested in playing snooker and why should they gave competition a go?

As I said earlier, standards in the game are moving up and snooker is reaching more places across the globe. This is a great time to play and compete in this game!

Thank you to Anupama for her time – she will be among the players back in action this weekend at the Taom UK Women’s Championship in Leeds with tournament information now available.