# Artemijs Žižins
**Artemijs Žižins** (born 2006) is a Latvian professional snooker player who, by coming through the first event of the 2024 Q School, became the first ever professional player from Latvia.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) He turned professional in 2024, plays right-handed, and has since reached the last 16 of a ranking event and a career-high world ranking of 68.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) • [2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2006, Latvia; plays right-handed[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) |
| Turned professional | 2024, via the first event of Q School; first ever professional player from Latvia[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) |
| Path to the tour | Beat Kayden Brierley 4-2 in the final round at Q School in Leicester for a two-year tour card[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) • [3](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/snooker/latvian-teenager-artemijs-zizins-secures-world-snooker-tour-card-with-q-school-glory-as-allan-taylor_sto10163022/story.shtml) |
| Amateur titles | 2022 European Under-16 champion; 2023 Latvian National Snooker champion[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) • [4](https://www.worldsnookerfederation.org/youngster-zizins-wins-latvian-snooker-championship/) |
| Best professional run | Last 16 of the 2026 World Open, beating Jamie Jones and Luca Brecel[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) |
| Highest ranking | 68[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534) |
| Notable break | 145 in 2026 Wuhan Open qualifying, the highest break of that event[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534) |
| Prize money | £98,850 earned from 2024 to 2026[5](https://salarysport.com/snooker/player/artemijs-zizins/) |
## Junior and amateur career
Žižins won the 2022 European Under-16 Championship in Albania, defeating Vladislav Gradinari of Moldova in the final.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) • [6](https://www.ebsa.tv/zizins-taking-notes-for-the-u18-event-revesz-over-the-moon-after-facing-ronnie-on-sunday/) Earlier in 2023 he reached the semi-finals of the European Under-18 Championship in Malta.[4](https://www.worldsnookerfederation.org/youngster-zizins-wins-latvian-snooker-championship/)
In June 2023, shortly after turning 17, he won his first Latvian National Snooker Championship in Riga. Seeded number one, he beat Arturs Koris 3-1 and Nikita Bazilevichs 3-2, then overcame defending champion Andrej Pripjoks 3-2 in the semi-finals, a reversal of the previous year's final, which he had lost 5-0. In the final he defeated five-time winner Rodion Judin 5-2, going on a four-frame winning streak to lead 4-1 before closing the match in the seventh frame.[4](https://www.worldsnookerfederation.org/youngster-zizins-wins-latvian-snooker-championship/)
## Turning professional at Q School 2024
At the first Q School event of May 2024 in [Leicester](https://www.edgepedia.org/leicester), Žižins won his first three rounds 4-0 and then beat the Ukrainian Iulian Boiko 4-2 in the fourth round.[7](https://arhivs.vs.lv/raksts/sports/2024/05/27/latvijas-sportists-kvalificejas-pasaules-snukera-tures-sacensibam) His 128 break in the second frame of that match was the highest break of the event to that point.[8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024) He then beat former professional Mark Joyce 4-2 in the last 16, setting up a final-round match against England's Kayden Brierley for a place on the World Snooker Tour.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) • [3](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/snooker/latvian-teenager-artemijs-zizins-secures-world-snooker-tour-card-with-q-school-glory-as-allan-taylor_sto10163022/story.shtml)
In the deciding match, Žižins opened with a 120 break, trailed 2-1, and then took three straight frames, closing with breaks of 51 and 88 to win 4-2 and secure a two-year tour card covering the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 seasons.[3](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/snooker/latvian-teenager-artemijs-zizins-secures-world-snooker-tour-card-with-q-school-glory-as-allan-taylor_sto10163022/story.shtml) • [8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024) The result made him Latvia's first ever professional snooker player.[9](https://www.wpbsa.com/pinhey-ends-q-school-heartache-to-turn-professional/)
## Professional career
**2024/2025.** In his debut season Žižins reached the third round of the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh, where an 18-year-old Žižins beat China's Xu Si 4-3 before losing 4-1 to Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.[10](https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/w2163731) • [11](https://bsportsfan.com/snooker/t/1002786/artemijs-zizins) In UK Championship qualifying he beat Mark Joyce 6-1 before losing 6-3 to [Stephen Maguire](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-maguire) in the third round.[8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024) In December 2024 he came through two deciding frames in German Masters qualifying, beating Kreishh Gurbaxani 5-4 and Matthew Selt 5-4 to reach the 2025 German Masters at the main venue.[8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024) • [12](https://lente.lv/sports/raksts/latvijas-snukera-brinums-artemijs-zizins-iekaro-uhanas-open-pamatturniru-vesturisks-solis-globalaja-elite-16107.html?%40=komentari) He also pushed [Mark Selby](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-selby) to a 5-4 decider in World Open qualifying, and ended the season with a 10-4 defeat to Dylan Emery in the first round of World Championship qualifying.[8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024)
**2025/2026.** In July 2025 he topped his group at the Championship League ranking event, beating Si Jiahui, then ranked fourth in the world, 3-0.[13](https://scorecentre.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2390) • [14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDMBiUqe8CM) In International Championship qualifying that October he lost 6-3 to Gary Wilson, whose 147 in the final frame was the sixth maximum of his career and the 228th in professional snooker.[15](https://www.wpbsa.com/wilson-makes-sixth-147/) At UK Championship qualifying he beat [Ali Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/ali-carter) 6-4 before losing 6-5 to David Lilley in the fourth round.[8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024)
The season's high point came at the [2026 World Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/2026-world-open-snooker) in March 2026. Žižins beat Jamie Jones 5-0, then defeated the former world champion [Luca Brecel](https://www.edgepedia.org/luca-brecel) 5-1 in Yushan, and after Chris Wakelin's walkover he took Ryan Day to a 5-4 decider in the fourth round. Reaching the last 16 was his best run in a ranking event to that point in his professional career, and his ranking rose to a career high.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) • [8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024) • [11](https://bsportsfan.com/snooker/t/1002786/artemijs-zizins) • [16](https://www.nieuwsblad.be/sport/snooker/nieuwe-ontgoocheling-voor-luca-brecel-letse-outsider-is-maatje-te-groot-op-world-open/142799832.html) He again met Dylan Emery in World Championship qualifying, losing 10-6 in the second round.[8](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024)
**2026/2027.** In June 2026 Žižins qualified for the Wuhan Open by beating Wu Yize, then ranked second in the world, 5-4, and his 145 break in the last frame was the highest break of the qualifying event.[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534) At the Wuhan Open itself he lost 5-4 to Stephen Maguire in the second round, having led 4-1 and led 59-0 in the deciding frame, which was decided on the final black.[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534) At the British Open he beat Joshua Thomond 4-2 and He Guoqiang 4-1 before losing 4-2 to Jak Jones in the fourth round.[2](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534)
## Significance for Latvian snooker
Žižins's Q School success in 2024 gave Latvia its first professional snooker player, a country with no prior presence on the World Snooker Tour.[1](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/) • [9](https://www.wpbsa.com/pinhey-ends-q-school-heartache-to-turn-professional/) Latvian media described his qualification for the Wuhan Open main draw in 2026 as a historic step for the country in the global snooker elite.[12](https://lente.lv/sports/raksts/latvijas-snukera-brinums-artemijs-zizins-iekaro-uhanas-open-pamatturniru-vesturisks-solis-globalaja-elite-16107.html?%40=komentari) A World Snooker Tour profile published around his debut season listed him among the tour's young players to watch, noting that he had not expected to come through Q School that year.[17](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gc-media-assets-v2.gc.wstservices.co.uk/saudi_masters.pdf)
## References
1. [Artemijs Žižins, WPBSA player profile](https://www.wpbsa.com/player/artemijs-zizins/)
2. [Artemijs Zizins, snooker.org player page](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534)
3. [Latvian teenager Artemijs Zizins secures World Snooker Tour card with Q School glory, TNT Sports](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/snooker/latvian-teenager-artemijs-zizins-secures-world-snooker-tour-card-with-q-school-glory-as-allan-taylor_sto10163022/story.shtml)
4. [Youngster Žižins Wins Latvian Snooker Championship, World Snooker Federation](https://www.worldsnookerfederation.org/youngster-zizins-wins-latvian-snooker-championship/)
5. [Artemijs Zizins Snooker Career Prize Money, Salary Sport](https://salarysport.com/snooker/player/artemijs-zizins/)
6. [Zizins ready for the U18, European Billiards & Snooker Association](https://www.ebsa.tv/zizins-taking-notes-for-the-u18-event-revesz-over-the-moon-after-facing-ronnie-on-sunday/)
7. [Latvijas sportists kvalificējas pasaules snūkera tūres sacensībām, VS.lv](https://arhivs.vs.lv/raksts/sports/2024/05/27/latvijas-sportists-kvalificejas-pasaules-snukera-tures-sacensibam)
8. [Artemijs Zizins results by season, snooker.org](https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?player=3534&season=2024)
9. [Pinhey Ends Q School Heartache To Turn Professional, WPBSA](https://www.wpbsa.com/pinhey-ends-q-school-heartache-to-turn-professional/)
10. [English Players Dominate Second Round of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, Saudi Press Agency](https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/w2163731)
11. [Artemijs Zizins, BsportsFan](https://bsportsfan.com/snooker/t/1002786/artemijs-zizins)
12. [Latvijas Snūkera Brīnums Artemijs Žižins Iekaro Uhaņas "Open" Pamatturnīru, Lente.lv](https://lente.lv/sports/raksts/latvijas-snukera-brinums-artemijs-zizins-iekaro-uhanas-open-pamatturniru-vesturisks-solis-globalaja-elite-16107.html?%40=komentari)
13. [Championship League Stage One Group 4 2025, snooker.org](https://scorecentre.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=2390)
14. [19-Year-Old Artemijs Zizins Stuns Si Jiahui 3-0, World Snooker Tour (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDMBiUqe8CM)
15. [Wilson Makes Sixth 147, WPBSA](https://www.wpbsa.com/wilson-makes-sixth-147/)
16. [Luca Brecel uitgeschakeld op World Open na nederlaag tegen Zizins, Nieuwsblad](https://www.nieuwsblad.be/sport/snooker/nieuwe-ontgoocheling-voor-luca-brecel-letse-outsider-is-maatje-te-groot-op-world-open/142799832.html)
17. [Ones to Watch, World Snooker Tour (Saudi Arabia Masters media guide)](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gc-media-assets-v2.gc.wstservices.co.uk/saudi_masters.pdf)
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