Ronnie O’Sullivan’s cousin will look to fulfil her own Crucible dreams by competing against the likes of legends such as Jimmy White.
Maria Catalano will etch her name into the history books by becoming the first woman to take part in the most prestigious event on the World Seniors Snooker (WSS) tour.A former world number one and the winner of 11 ranking events, she will contest her first round match against Egypt’s Wael Talaat.
It has been a difficult period for Maria who lost her father Antonio in 2018, which impacted her performance.Therefore, the 40-year-old was close to hanging up her cue, but after receiving the opportunity of lifetime three weeks ago, she jumped at the chance. “I was finding it difficult to practice, just feeling I was getting nothing out of it,” she told The Sheffield Star.“I didn’t practice a lot and my last season’s results speak for themselves.
I feel this opportunity has turned my life a little bit.” Catalano was a late call-up to the event, where she will join the likes of world champions Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White, John Parrott and Ken Doherty.
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