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Hossein Vafaei became the first Iranian player to win a ranking title, beating Mark Williams in the final of the Snooker Shoot Out.
![Vafaei had reached three rankings tournament semi-finals before his victory on Sunday]({"default":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"35","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAT4g6k.img?h=351&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=224&y=189"}})
“It’s a big achievement for a country like Iran. Nobody knew about snooker before. Now they know.”
Wales’ Williams, the three-time world champion, only got the chance to play one shot in the final with world number 42 Vafaei sinking a tricky, long red after the break-off.
“I thought I’d played a pretty good break-off shot there and what a fantastic red that was,” said Williams. “To make that break under pressure to win your first tournament, hats off to him.”