In doing so, 22-year-old Mink became the first Thai player to win the women’s world title. She also secures a two-year card to compete on the main professional World Snooker Tour, beginning in the 2022–23 snooker season, and the winner’s cheque of £6,000 (B264,000).
The tournament was held at the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy in Sheffield from Feb 11-14, the first time in two years following postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
En-route to the final Mink defeated three-time champion Ng On Yee of Hong Kong in the quarter-finals, winning a thrilling contest 4–3 on the final black.
In the semi-final Mink overcame world number four Rebecca McKenna of Northern Ireland to set up a final showdown with Wendy Jans of Belgium.
In a nail-biting game which was live-streamed on Facebook, Mink took a 2-1 lead before Jans took control with a 5-3 score. Mink won the next two frames to level the match and set up a deciding frame for the title where she managed to triumph by potting the final black ball.
World Number One Reanne Evans paid tribute to the Thai youngster after her final success: “She’s always had the potential to be a winner,” Evans told Metro.co.uk.
“She’s got a good game... a bright future ahead of her and it wasn’t a surprise to me that she won the event,” the Briton added.
Mink was runner-up to Evans in the 2019 World Women’s Snooker Championship, the last time the tournament was played before the COVID-enforced break. Mink also won the World Women’s Under-21 Champion in 2018 and her first ranking title at the 2019 Australian Women’s Open.
She also holds the accolade of being the only woman known to have made a maximum break of 147, a feat achieved during a practice round in March 2019.