James Wattana
James Wattana (Thai: เจมส์ วัฒนา; born January 17, 1970, as วัฒนา ภู่โอบอ้อม Wattana Pu-Ob-Orm, then renamed รัชพล ภู่โอบอ้อม Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm in 2003) is a Thai former professional snooker player.
Wattana at the 2013 German Masters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 17, 1970 Bangkok, Thailand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport country | Thailand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | the Thai-phoon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional | 1989–2008, 2009–2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 3 (1994/95) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum breaks | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Century breaks | 166 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tournament wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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A professional between 1989 and 2008, and from 2009 to 2020, Wattana reached his highest ranking position – world number 3 – for the 1994–95 season. He has won three ranking tournaments, the 1992 Strachan Open and the Thailand Open in 1994 and 1995, and has finished as the runner-up in a further five ranking events. He twice reached the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship, in 1993 and 1997. When he was defeated in the semi-finals in 1993 by Jimmy White, it was only Wattana's second appearance in the final televised stages at the Crucible Theatre, his first being the previous year when he lost in the second round to the eventual winner Stephen Hendry.
Having received two year invitational tour cards in 2014, 2016 and 2018, Wattana fell off the main tour at the end of the 2019/2020 season.