Poland's Antoni Kowalski has embarked on his maiden year on the World Snooker Tour, after coming through Q School last month. He began his campaign at the BetVictor Championship League by coming third in his group after three draws. Now the 20-year-old has his sights set on reaching the very top of the sport...
Antoni, thanks for speaking to us. First of all how do you reflect on your performance at the Championship League?
“It was far away from my best game. I could easily have won all of the matches. I underperformed a little bit, but it was still decent. I could have finished first in the group, but I didn’t lose any games.
“It is good to have got going with the season. I’m finally in the place I wanted to be in since the start of my career. I can test myself against the best. Hopefully I will win as many matches as I can and stage a couple of shocks along the way."
You talked at Q School about confidence being one of your biggest assets. How important do you think that will be for you going forward?
“Compared to some other players, I think the mental side of my game is very good. When I was younger, I watched the television with my dad and he was always talking about how Stuart Bingham was scared of Ronnie O’Sullivan. When they played, Ronnie would just smash Stuart. I’m not scared of anyone and I know that if I play my best, then I can fight with anyone on equal footing. I’m not saying I can beat them, but I will always fight. I am pretty confident."
What was the feeling like after coming through the final round of Q School?
“The feeling was something else. I kept getting knocked out in semi-finals and quarter-finals. I was underperforming all of the time. My concentration was letting me down. That was the main factor of those losses. I was pretty sad that I couldn’t get the chance to compete with the best, knowing that I am capable of doing that. The relief was incredible to finally do it. I don’t know if it was more happiness or relief, but it was great."
Were you feeling the pressure going into that final round match?
“I don’t feel pressure. I don’t know why. I just concentrate on playing my best snooker all of the time and treat each game the same. I knew I just had to play my best game and I would win. I had already beaten James Cahill and knew I wouldn’t have a harder game than that.”
Where are you basing yourself as a professional?
“I’m living half in Zielona Góra and half in Poznan where my girlfriend is from. She studies there and is also working in the snooker club. We have been together for four years and she was in the same school. She was actually Polish Champion in trampolining and was second place in a World Cup event, but sadly she got injured. You can easily get injured in that sport and she hurt her back so had to stop.”
What are your ambitions for the next two seasons and for the future?
“My goals are pretty high. Of course everyone wants to be World Champion and world number one. For now I will just try to get into the top 64 and try to stay on the main tour for the rest of my career. I am a big fan of darts and Luke Littler opened my eyes. He has reached the final of the World Championship and broken records already. He will smash all of the records over the next few years. I want to be exactly like him. I want to be the best. I will continue to level up my game and see how I go."
