Vladislav Gradinari: 14-year-old catches eye of snooker legend Mark Williams at Shoot Out - 'Hits the ball lovely'

Updated 25/01/2023 at 17:09 GMT

14-year-old Vladislav Gradinari grabbed the headlines on day one of the 2023 Shoot Out with an impressive victory against Ng On Yee. The youngster, making his debut in the event, took a 40-1 win against the women’s world champion to book his place in round two, and was noticed by none other than Mark Williams. Stream the 2023 Shoot Out live and on demand on discovery+.

'I felt natural at the table' - 14-year-old Gradinari reacts to shock Shoot Out win

One of the biggest stories to come out of the first day of this year’s snooker Shoot Out was the remarkable result achieved by Vladislav Gradinari.

At just 14, the Moldovan youngster - who is based in Leeds - claimed the scalp of Ng On Yee, beating the three-time women’s world champion in the first round.

Despite his tender years, Gradinari was not at all overawed by the crowd at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, marking his debut at the unique one-frame ranking event with a 40-1 win.

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“I played really well, and I’m happy with that,” the youngster told Eurosport afterwards.

“I felt really natural at the table and I’m really happy with this win.”

A relaxed-looking Gradinari got on the scoreboard first, opening up a nine-point lead before playing safe. On Yee spotted an opening but could not capitalise on a terrific opener and Gradinari took advantage.

He opened up an 18-1 advantage with just three minutes left of the allocated 10 assigned to each frame, and went on to seal the win to progress to the next round.

Gradinari is now the youngest player to win a televised match at a ranking event.

Awaiting his second round opponent, who he will face on Friday, Gradinari was excited at the prospect of continuing his journey at the tournament.

“I will be looking forward to it”, he added.

Gradinari even caught the eye of snooker legend Mark Williams, who said after his own win over Craig Steadman: "I watched him [Gradinari] in the practice room - he hits the ball lovely.

"It [the event] just gives them [the younger players] the opportunity and experience they need to play under the cameras and the lights."