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Iranian star Hossein Vafaei believes that his success at the UK Championship can open the door for budding stars across the world.

He has played with impressive freedom in York and will be hoping to reach the semi-finals this afternoon.

“I’ve always been ready (to challenge for big titles), but it’s just a matter of time, » he said. “We are from different countries, we need to learn lots of different things to compete with our legends, so it’s tough to get to that level but I’m getting there.

“It’s going to be amazing. If I go all the way, it’s good for the game. It’s good for snooker all over the Middle East. It’s good for all the players and the snooker market, because something will happen after I win.

“You’ll probably have a Dubai Open, a Saudi Open, a Qatar Open, or an Iran Open – something like that is going to happen soon, I’m sure. »