Ahmed Aly Elsayed (born 14 December 1979) is an American professional snooker player who has won the United States Amateur Championship a record six times, having won three consecutive titles between 2009 and 2011, and another three consecutive titles between 2018 and 2021 (no tournament was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[1][2]

Ahmed Aly Elsayed
Born (1979-12-14) December 14, 1979 (age 44)
Alexandria, Egypt
Sport country United States
Professional2023–present
Highest ranking108 (July 2024)
Current ranking 124 (as of 2 December 2024)

Career

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Born in Egypt, he began as a pool player, winning tournaments in Alexandria.[3] His father, an officer in the Egyptian Army, introduced him to snooker, and Elsayed practiced the sport in an army club that featured snooker tables formerly owned by King Farouk.[3] After earning a degree in civil engineering, he went to the United States, intending to compete in pool tournaments. He remained in the US, working at the New York Athletic Club, where he supervises the billiard room.[3][4] He is a naturalized US citizen.[5]

He participated in the 2022 World Seniors Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, becoming the first American to compete at the Crucible.[4] He lost in the first round to Wayne Cooper.[6] He turned professional in the 2023–24 season after earning a two-year tour card by winning the 2022 Pan American Amateur Championship.[7] Former world champion Cliff Thorburn and top snooker coach Chris Henry advised him on playing professionally.[3]

Outside snooker

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In 2018, Elsayed played the part of a snooker player in The Nap at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway. The play was written by One Man, Two Guvnors playwright Richard Bean.[8] Elsayed met his wife Amy, a stage manager, during his time appearing in the play.[3]

Performance and rankings timeline

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Tournament 2021/
22
2023/
24
2024/
25
Ranking[9][nb 1] [nb 2] [nb 3] 94
Ranking tournaments
Championship League A RR RR
Xi'an Grand Prix Not Held LQ
Saudi Arabia Masters Not Held 1R
English Open A LQ LQ
British Open A LQ LQ
Wuhan Open NH LQ LQ
Northern Ireland Open A LQ LQ
International Championship NH WD LQ
UK Championship A LQ LQ
Shoot Out A 1R
Scottish Open A LQ LQ
German Masters A LQ
Welsh Open A LQ
World Open NH LQ
World Grand Prix DNQ DNQ
Players Championship DNQ DNQ
Tour Championship DNQ DNQ
World Championship A LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
World Seniors Championship 1R A
Former ranking tournaments
European Masters A LQ NH
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
PA / Pro-am Event means an event is/was a pro-am event.
  1. ^ It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. ^ He was an amateur
  3. ^ New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking

Career finals

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Amateur finals: 12 (8 titles)

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Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2009 United States Amateur Championship   Ajeya Prabhakar 5–4
Winner 2. 2010 United States Amateur Championship (2)   Yi Fei Mei 5–4
Winner 3. 2011 United States Amateur Championship (3)   Ajeya Prabhakar 5–3
Runner-up 1. 2015 United States Amateur Championship   Sargon Isaac 3–5
Runner-up 2. 2016 United States Amateur Championship (2)   Sargon Isaac 1–5
Runner-up 3. 2017 United States Amateur Championship (3)   Raymond Fung 4–5
Winner 4. 2018 United States Amateur Championship (4)   Raymond Fung 5–2
Winner 5. 2019 United States Amateur Championship (5)   Cheang Ciing Yoo 5–3
Winner 6. 2021 United States Amateur Championship (6)   Ajeya Prabhakar 5–0
Winner 7. 2021 Pan American Amateur Championship - Masters   Levi Meiller 4–1
Runner-up 4. 2022 Pan American Amateur Championship - Masters   Vito Puopolo 0–3
Winner 8. 2022 Pan American Amateur Championship   Amar Sadeg 5–1

References

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  1. ^ "Aly secures record breaking sixth U.S. title". United States Snooker Association. October 17, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "SnookerUSA.com - USSA Organization - United States National Snooker Championship - Roll Of Honor". www.snookerusa.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "From Alexandria To New York – Elsayed's Path To Professional Status". World Snooker. November 23, 2022. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Who is US snooker star Ahmed Aly Elsayed?". Diario AS. May 1, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "SnookerUSA.com - News - Aly arrives in Egypt for IBSF World Snooker". www.snookerusa.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  6. ^ Rob Walker (Presenter), John Virgo (Commentator) and Cliff Thorburn (Commentator) (May 5, 2022). 2022 World Seniors Championship: Ahmed Aly versus Wayne Cooper (Television production). BBC Red Button.
  7. ^ "American Aly Elsayed Set For Professional Circuit". WPBSA. November 8, 2022.
  8. ^ King, Darryn (September 27, 2018). "U.S. Snooker Champ Ahmed Aly Elsayed On Playing Broadway". Forbes. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  9. ^ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
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