Tony Drago
Tony Drago ( born September 22, 1965 in Valletta) is a Maltese snooker and pool player.
Snooker career
Drago made his professional debut in 1985. Early as 1989 he drew attention to himself when he moved into the semi-finals of the UK Championship. In 1996 he won the invitational tournament Guangzhou Masters, 1993, the third round of the Strachan Challenge. In two other tournaments he reached the final of 1991 he lost to Jimmy White at the World Masters 6:10 1997 he lost to Stephen Hendry at the International Open in his only final of a ranking tournament with 1:9.
He had in the 1998/99 season with 10th place in the same year he achieved in the Snooker World Cup quarter-finals His best finish. In 2003 he made the jump into the second round of the British Open, 2004, he was once again a semifinalist at the European Open.
In 2002, he played in the Benson & Hedges Championship his only maximum break.
After the 2007/ 08 season, he could no longer qualify for the Tour Snooker Main, as he increasingly focused on snooker.
On 4 June 2009 Drago managed by a competitive 5-4 victory in the final of the European Main Tour against Roy Stolk return to the main tour for the season 2009/10. He commented on his return with the words "I've missed it so. "
In qualifying for the UK Championship, he played in 2009 his 100th Century Break - as only 31 players. But he did not qualify for the first round of the best Main 32 He succeeded at the Welsh Open 2010, where he is scarce, his opening match against Ryan Day lost with 4:5. For the season 2010/11 he was taken 54th.
Pool Career
In addition to his snooker career, he also played very successfully Pool. So he won a victory at the World Pool Masters about 2003. 2006, he reached at the Swiss Open the finals, but lost to the British Jonni Fulcher. When snooker championship 2007, he became vice European champion in 8-Ball. In addition, he once again reached the final of a Euro - Tour tournament at the Austria Open 2007. In 2008 he won the Predator 10-Ball Championship.
Immediately on his first participation in 2007, he won with Team Europe the Mosconi Cup. He won all his games and was recognized as Most Valuable Player (English for Most Valuable Player ) award. In 2008 he was European team again and defended the Mosconi Cup, which was first staged in his native Malta. He also won the French Open in 2008 at the Euro tour and made it to the round of last 32 in the WPA 9-Ball World Championship 2010
Playing style and snooker records
Drago is known for its exceptionally fast and attacking game, which earned him the nickname "The Tornado". In the pool, he is usually " Maltese Whippet " ( Maltese Greyhound ), because there already is so named another player.
Drago, who is also a very emotional player, because of its rapid game holds several records in snooker. So in just 210 seconds he managed during the UK Championship 1995 CenturyBreak and in the International Open 1998 in Stoke, he won against Danny Fowler in just three minutes a frame. He also presented the record for the fastest victory in a best-of- nine match up when he defeated Sean Lanigan in only 34 minutes 5-0, 1993, and in a best-of -17 match in 1990 when he Joe O ' Boye handling services in the UK ChampionChip in only 81 minutes by 9:0.
In a practice match against Nick Manning succeeded him in 1995 a break of 149 points, which earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Private
Drago lives in Valletta, the capital of Malta. He likes tennis and is a fan of Juventus.