Man Nakhon Pathom Proves Himself, Secures Ticket to Professional World Snooker Main Tour Again
Thai snooker player Thanawat 'Man Nakhon Pathom' Thirapongpaibuul has regained his professional status after defeating China's Bai Langning 4-1 in qualifying, six years after a match-fixing ban ended his previous career. The 32-year-old, wh
Thanawat Thirapongpaibuul, known as 'Man Nakhon Pathom,' has earned his return to professional world snooker after defeating China's Bai Langning 4-1 in the qualifying round at the 'I-EA-T Asia Oceania Q-School 2026 Event 1' held at Kiattithada Sukondhasawat Club on May 18.
The 32-year-old previously competed as a professional snooker player from 2010 to 2016 and became the youngest player in professional snooker history to achieve a maximum break of 147 points.
However, Man was implicated in match-fixing involving six professional snooker matches between 2013-2015 and received a 9-year ban. Due to his cooperation and confession, the penalty was reduced to a 6-year ban with a 2.5-year competition suspension (from June 15, 2022 to March 14, 2025). Despite this setback, Man remained committed to his training during the suspension period and has successfully proven himself by securing his ticket back to the professional world snooker main tour.
