| Born | (1984-06-27)27 June 1984 (age 41) Glasgow, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  Scotland |
| Professional | 2006/2007, 2008/2009 |
| Highestranking | 82(2008/2009) |
Robert Stephen (born 27 June 1984) is a Scottish former professionalsnooker player.
He first qualified for the main tour for the2006–07 season having topped the Scottish rankings the year before. During the2008–09 season, he reached the last 64 at theShanghai Masters and theBahrain Championship.
Stephen was born inGlasgow and first played competitive snooker in 2003, entering three Challenge Tour events and qualifying for theWorld Championship; he progressed to the last 32 at one tournament, whereChris Norbury beat him 5–0, but lost his opening World Championship match 3–5 toTroy Shaw.
Having gained a place on the professional tour through the Scottish rankings, Stephen made his début in the 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy, where he lost 0–5 toLiang Wenbo. He recorded his first wins as a professional in his qualifying group for the 2006 Grand Prix, beating bothLee Page andMark Joyce 3–0, but did not qualify for the tournament itself.
At the 2007 Welsh Open, he made his first competitivecentury break, a 115, in the process of defeatingTian Pengfei 5–2; he lost his next match by the same scoreline toStuart Pettman. In the 2007 World Championship, Stephen was drawn againstAlfie Burden in the last 96, but lost 9–10, and fell off the tour as the world number 91 at the season's end.
During the 2007/2008 season, Stephen played in the Pontin's International Open Series in an attempt to win back his place, reaching the semi-final of Event Three, where Michael King beat him 5–4. His performances were not sufficient for him to return to the main tour for the 2008/2009 season. But he ended on top of the Scottish rankings, winning three of the seven tournaments of the Scottish Senior tour. And so he was again nominated for the Main Tour by the Scottish Snooker association.[1]
Stephen's second season as a professional brought more success than his first, with runs to the last 64 at the Bahrain Championship, the Shanghai Masters and the China Open. In the Shanghai Masters, he defeatedScott MacKenzie 5–2 andPaul Davies by the same scoreline, but lost 1–5 toMichael Holt, while his progress in Bahrain, encompassing victories overDavid Grace andAndrew Norman, was ended by a 3–5 loss toRobert Milkins. In the China Open,John Parrott overcame him 5–3.
Stephen lost 3–10 toMatthew Selt in qualifying for the 2009 World Championship, and was ranked 88th at the conclusion of the season. As a result, he was relegated once more from the tour.
