Fans who watched snooker in the 1980s will recall that Canada was a powerhouse of the sport in much the same way that China is today. Cliff Thorburn became the first non-British World Champion in 1980 and made the tournament's first 147 three years later, while Kirk Stevens, Bill Werbeniuk and Jim Wych also enjoyed moments in the limelight. Between them, that quartet made no fewer than 22 quarter-final appearances at the Crucible.
To play on that famous stage is still a long way off for Sahil Nayyar but he has taken a huge step towards his dream by competing on the World Snooker Tour for the first time this season. He earned a two-year card by winning the Pan American Open Championship in October last year, coming through a field of 62 cueists from Canada, USA and Brazil to secure the title, beating Brazil’s Fabio Anderson Luersen 5-1 in the final. Having lived in Ontario for seven years, he is representing Canada and hopes to inspire a new generation of players.
"Since I first went there in 2018, snooker is getting more popular in Canada and I hope I can help put it back on the map," said Nayyar. "If I can have some success then it will encourage young players into the sport. It's a dream come true just to be here on the pro tour, I am honoured and proud."
In fact, Nayyar's snooker backstory starts in the city of Ludhiana in the north Indian state of Punjab. That's where he grew up, and first played on the green baize at the age of 14. "My older brothers played and once I discovered snooker I wanted to learn all about it and get better," he recalls. "I would watch YouTube videos of Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams."
He moved to Canada in order to study, and has completed courses in Global Business Management and Global Hospitality Management at Conestoga College in Kitchener, but continued to play snooker and work on his game. Last year he decided to enter the Pan American event but went there with low expectations.
"It was like a small vacation with my wife," he said. "It was a five hour drive to Montreal and we thought it would be a fun trip. I never thought I could win it on my first attempt, I didn't even know if I would make it through the group stages. But once I got to the knockout I felt a different player. I played a good semi-final and a good final, I guess it was meant to be."
Nayyar's wife has remained in Canada while he has moved to the UK and is now based at the Ding Junhui Academy in Sheffield. "That has been a big sacrifice," he admits. "But I am fully committed to the next two years. It's great to be at the academy where I can play with the likes of Kreishh Gurbaxani and Ishpreet Singh Chadha - who I knew from India - and the Chinese players. I need to strengthen my game to compete with them, it's a big challenge."
