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][8]
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.[9][10]
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]
^He was suspended from the start of the previous season for 15 months and began this season without ranking points
^The event was called the International Open (1995/1996–1996/1997) and the Players Championship (2003/2004)
^The event was called the German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)
^The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2010/2011–2012/2013) and the Players Championship Grand Final (2013/2014–2015/2016)
^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)
^The event was called the Thailand Classic (1995/1996)
^The event was called the Thailand Open (1995/1996–1996/1997)
^The event was called the Australian Masters (1995/1996)
^The event was called the Grand Prix Fürth (2004/2005) and the Fürth German Open (2005/2006–2006/2007)
^The event was called the China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)
^The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)
^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)
