Anthony Stephen Hamilton (born 29 June 1971) is an English professional snooker player. He has spent five seasons ranked among the game's elite Top 16 and fifteen in the Top 32, reaching a career-high of number ten in the world in the 1999/2000 season. Hamilton is a four-time World Championship quarter-finalist, a Masters semi-finalist and compiler of more than 300 competitive century breaks during his long career. He won his first ranking title in 2017, beating Ali Carter 9–6 in the final of the German Masters, doing so at the age of 45. Career 1991–2000 Hamilton turned professional in 1991, entering the world's top 32 in 1995/1996. Hamilton has reached two ranking tournament finals. In the British Open in 1999, where he lost to Fergal O'Brien, Hamilton opened with two centuries, but O'Brien won five frames on the final black to defeat the Nottingham man. The other was the 2001 China Open. Mark Williams beat him 9–8, despite Hamilton having led 8–5. He made the first of his four World Championship quarter-finals in 2000, losing 3–13 to John Higgins. 2000–2006 He reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship on three later occasions (2002, 2004 and 2007), but without reaching the semi-final stage. In 2002, he lost 6–13 to eventual winner Peter Ebdon. In 2004, he made two consecutive to come from 0–2 down to level at 2–2 in his quarter-final against eventual champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, but eventually lost the match by 3–13. Hamilton's 438 points scored in this match are a record low for a World Championship Quarter-final. He also has the highest ever points total in a first-round match at the Crucible, 1271 against Chris Small in 1999, though he lost this match 9–10. In 1997 he reached the second round; facing John Parrott at this stage he scored 414 unanswered points in frames 1–5, but still lost the match (this is the second-highest number of unanswered points in Crucible history; the record was set by John Higgins against Hamilton in the second round in 2000). Hamilton did not fare well in the 2006 World Championship, losing 1–10 in the opening round to Mark Williams. However, a strong two seasons ensured that he reclaimed a top 16 place. 2006–2007 Hamilton began the 2006–07 season at the Northern Ireland Trophy, losing 3–5 against Ding Junhui. At the Grand Prix Hamilton lost all five of his group stage matches, and didn't