Stateside success for Stephen Lee as he wins five-figure jackpot at Embassy Snooker Open in Los Angeles

The third edition of this impressive amateur event held at the Embassy Billiards Club in the Los Angeles region attracted entrants representing several different nations.

Former world number five Lee emerged from the groups stage to qualify for the knockout rounds where he eventually progressed to the semi-finals and a meeting with Pakistan’s Shahram Changezi.

Having been 2-0 up, a break of 59 helped Changezi go into the mid-session interval 3-1 ahead. On resumption, Lee restored parity at 3-3 but Changezi gained frame seven on the final pink to reach the hill first at 4-3.

Lee dug deep, though, as he forced the contest all the way courtesy of a 71 break in frame eight before winning a scrappy decider.

There was even more drama in the other semi-final as defending champion Renat Denkha edged Ireland's Albert Kenny 5-4 on the final black in a repeat of last year's title match.

Reigning United States national champion Denkha was going for a hat-trick in this competition having also claimed the first staging held in 2018. Earlier this year in Sacramento, Denkha defeated ex-professional Davy Morris, 5-4, in the final to win the inaugural US Snooker Masters - further evidence of a blossoming Stateside snooker scene.

In the past, Denkha has twice come very close to qualifying for the professional circuit as a two-time runner-up at the Pan American Snooker Championship (2019, 2021).

Denkha led the opening frame of his latest final engagement but Lee cleared from brown to black to pinch it. The former Masters finalist then showed his class with a 96 clearance in frame two before depositing frames three and four for a mini-session clean sweep.

After the interval, title holder Denkha avoided the whitewash as he got on the board via the colours in frame five but Lee was crowned champion in the next as he recorded a 5-1 final victory.

As well as the $5,000 runner-up prize, Denkha could also console himself with the tournament highest break bonus of $1,000 for an effort of 109 he produced earlier in the event.

Speaking to David Burney during the trophy presentation, Lee said: "It's a long few days. I've not competed for a while and I was worried about lots of group games and matches and I always want to play well, but the well bit didn't happen.

“I played OK in patches but it does take it out of you.

"I'm pleased, really pleased, my fighting spirit's still there but I must have had almost 30 or 40 frames and no century.

"It's been tough, everyone's very competitive here and I felt that as well...I'm over the moon to come and win a few matches, just a bit gutted not to get a century.

"It's nice to come and compete, brings back some nice memories"

Will we see Stephen Lee back on the professional snooker tour?

Lee was banned from professional snooker and all WPBSA competition for 12 years in 2012 after an independent tribunal found him guilty of fixing seven matches across 2008 and 2009, including one in the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre. He subsequently appealed this decision but it was dismissed.

That lengthy ban ended last year on October 12th - Lee's 50th birthday - but it doesn't look like the Englishman would be allowed, or has any desire, to re-join the top tier just yet.

Costs of £125,000 to the sport's governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association have yet to be paid.

Even if Lee came to a financial arrangement with the WPBSA, he would need to win back his professional tour card through one of the World Snooker Tour's qualification pathways - no mean feat - something he has publicly said he doesn’t want to try for.