World ranking: 17
Last five seasons: 15-35-377-UR-UR
Date of birth: 08-01-78
Lives: Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Turned professional: 1998
Best ranking event performance: Runner-up Grand Prix 1998
Last season's prize money: £83,810
Career prize money (up to start of 2001-2002 season): £241,680
Highest tournament break: 147 - Regal Masters 2000

After a meteoric rise up the world rankings, during which he shot from 377th to 15th, Marco Fu was brought back down to earth with a bump during the 2000-2001 season.

Snooker's latest star of the east was eclipsed from the top 16 when he lost a gruelling battle 10-8 to Chris Small in the first round of the Embassy World Championship.

Fu, who won only three matches in eight ranking events, had no complaints. "I started the season at No 9 in the provisional rankings so I don't deserve to be in the top 16 next season. I'm not too disappointed," he said.

"This game is all about confidence and once it has gone it's very difficult to get it back. I haven't been winning matches this season and that makes it even harder to get over the winning line.

"Everyone says getting into the top 16 is the hardest part but I don't agree - staying there is even tougher. It's back to the drawing board but I'll be back."

Fu first shot to prominence in the 1998 Grand Prix. He won seven matches - Ronnie O'Sullivan and Peter Ebdon were among his victims - to reach the final, where he was beaten 9-2 by Stephen Lee.

He also fought his way through four qualifying rounds to reach the televised stage of the 1999 Embassy World Championship, where Thailand's James Wattana proved his master with a 10-8 victory.

Voted WSA Young Player of the Year in 1999, Fu continued his progress during the 1999-2000 season, reaching the semi-finals of the Rothmans Grand Prix in Malta, where he was beaten 6-3 by Mark Williams, and the same stage of the Regal Scottish.

His performance in Aberdeen, where he beat Robin Hull (5-2), Tony Drago (5-2), Alan McManus (5-4), Gary Ponting (5-0) and John Higgins (5-2) before going out 6-5 to Williams, virtually clinched his place in the top 16.

He had already qualified for the first round proper of the World Championship with three victories at Preston and although he was beaten 10-4 by Anthony Hamilton at the Crucible, the hard work had already been done.

"The standard is so high these days that I am proud of my achievement in reaching the top 16 in just two seasons. Now my aim is to win a world ranking tournament," said Fu, who was educated in Vancouver but now commutes between Hong Kong and Stirling, where his management company is based.