page_title: Stephen Hendry
section_title: Final professional years (2010–2012)
hierarchical_section_title: Stephen Hendry / Career / Final professional years (2010–2012)
caption_attribution_description: English: Scottish snooker player Stephen Hendry.
context_page_description: Stephen Gordon Hendry MBE is a Scottish former professional snooker player and current commentator for the BBC and ITV. One of the most successful players in the history of snooker, he has won snooker's most prestigious tournament, the World Snooker Championship, a record seven times in the modern-era and holds the record for most seasons as world number one. His first world title in 1990, at the age of 21, made him the youngest-ever World Champion, a record that he still holds.
  Hendry also won six Masters titles, and five UK Championship titles. His total of 18 Triple Crown tournament wins is surpassed only by Ronnie O'Sullivan's 20. One of only three players to have won all three Triple Crown events in a single season, Hendry is the only player to have achieved the feat twice, in the 1989–90 and 1995–96 seasons. He is second for the most ranking titles behind Ronnie O'Sullivan. A prolific break builder, he recorded a total of 775 career century breaks, and made 11 officially-recognised maximum breaks in professional competition.
  He was awarded an MBE in 1994, and voted BBC Scotland's Sports Personality of the Year in 1987 and 1996.
context_section_description: In the 2010–11 season Hendry could not maintain his unbeaten run in the first round of ranking events, as he lost it at the Shanghai Masters against Martin Gould by 2–5. At the World Open in Glasgow, Hendry recorded 3–0 whitewashes against Bjorn Haneveer and Mark Davis, before he was beaten 1–3 by rival Ronnie O'Sullivan. At the 2010 UK Championship in Telford, Hendry was drawn against another old rival, Jimmy White. Despite struggling with his game throughout the match Hendry came through 9–8, rolling back the years by compiling a match-winning break in the deciding frame. In the second round Hendry was defeated 6–9 by Mark Williams. Afterwards Hendry expressed his frustration with his form and revealed that he has been suffering from "the yips" for the last ten years, leaving him unable to cue through the ball and causing him to miss the simplest of shots.
  Hendry lost 3–6 against reigning World Champion Neil Robertson in the 2011 Masters. Hendry made his 10th 147 break at the 2011 Welsh Open in the opening frame of the last 16 round vs Stephen Maguire, but later lost the game. At the 2011 China Open Hendry whitewashed Matthew Stevens 5–0 in the first round, before losing to Ding Junhui 2–5 in the second round. At the 2011 World Championship, he beat Joe Perry in the deciding frame of their first round tie before going out in the second round, for the second consecutive year, to Mark Selby 4–13.
  Hendry began the 2011–12 season at the first event of the Players Tour Championship, and lost 3–4 against Kyren Wilson. As a result of this he was ranked number 17 after the event, the first time out of the top 16 since the 1987/1988 season. However, he moved back into the top 16 after reaching the second round of the Australian Goldfields Open. In September he played Robert Milkins in the first round of the Shanghai Masters, but lost the match 1–5, subsequently losing his position inside the top 16 after the first cut off point and was ranked number 21. This meant that Hendry would not participate in the Masters for the first time in 23 years and that he would have to qualify to reach the main stages of all the ranking events in the snooker calendar.
  Hendry qualified for the 2011 UK Championship after beating Gerard Greene 6–2 in the final qualifying round. It was his first qualifying match since 1989. However, he lost 3–6 to compatriot Stephen Maguire in the first round. He reached the semi-finals of the twelfth PTC event in January 2012, but narrowly lost 3–4, once again to Maguire. Hendry needed to reach the final in order to make the top 24 of the Order of Merit and secure a place in the Finals.
  Hendry lost 1–5 in a qualifying match against James Wattana for the German Masters and therefore did not play in a ranking tournament for the first time in 15 years.
  Hendry qualified for the Welsh Open by whitewashing Kurt Maflin 4–0 to reach the first round, where he played reigning Masters champion Neil Robertson and recorded the result of his season so far by triumphing 4–1. He was then whitewashed 0–4 by Mark Allen in the following round. Hendry also played the Australian in the first round of the World Open after he defeated Mike Dunn 5–2 in qualifying, however this time he lost 3–5.
  Hendry won his 4th qualifying encounter out of 5 so far this season, when he defeated Yu Delu 5–1 to seal his place for the China Open. There he beat Martin Gould 5–4 in the first round on the final black.
  He played Robertson for the third consecutive time in a ranking event in the last 16 and was beaten 3–5.
caption: Hendry at the Brugge Open 2010
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