Marco Zanetti

Zanetti started playing billiards at 7. He needed a chair to play. His father, Erwin Zanetti, was the president of the Carambole Circle of Bolzano.{{Cite web |url=http://biliardoweb.it/blog/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=95 |title=Interview to Marco Zanetti (Italian) |access-date=2007-10-07 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070625055429/http://biliardoweb.it/blog/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=95 |archive-date=2007-06-25 |url-status=dead }}

He is regarded as a brilliant billiards player, but also a controversial person who does not hold back with criticism of the world or continental federation and organizers. This brought him in the past, often the wrath of the organizers, as well as its behavior in different tournaments. Because of his criticism of the UMB at the World Cup 2009 tournament in Korea, Zanetti was assessed a lifetime 50-point penalty in the world rankings.[http://www.kozoom.com/en/billiard-carom/news/marco-zanetti-phenomenon-with-special-character.html Interview with Zanetti] on Kozoom.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012. Two years later, at the end of the three-band World Cup, also in Suwon, South Korea, the UMB took this penalty back and the end of the year he received his 50 points back for the world ranking.[http://www.kozoom.com/en/billiard-carom/news/marco-zanetti-will-lose-his-life-penalty.html Marco Zanetti will lose hie life penalty] on Kozoom.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012.

Zanetti lives with his wife Martina and son Samuel (born 2008) in his birth town in South Tyrol. As a South Tyrolian he also speaks fluently German. His nickname in the billiards scene is The Italian gentleman.

In his early career he won the balkline European Championship twice, 1983 in 47/2-Balkline and 1984 in 47/1-Balkline. Later he switched to three-cushion where he won the Biathlon (three-cushin and 5-pins) World Championship in 1988 and 1996.

He reached the finals of the UMB World Three-cushion Championship in 2001, but was bested by Raymond Ceulemans. He made it into the finals again a year later and won the title, defeating Dion Nelin of Denmark. He has been the only Italian to win a world championship in the sport as of 2007. He was ranked 7th in the world as of 2007 by the Confédération Européenne de Billard.Confédération Européenne de Billard (2007).[http://www.eurobillard.org/ranking/3c_single_042007.pdf Ranking 3-cushion 2007] (PDF format). Retrieved on 16 February 2007.

Zanetti also has 25 Italian national titles. He is 7-time winner, from 2004/05 to 2011/12, of the Coupe d’Europe, a tournament series for clubs which is held since the season of 1958/59. It is comparable to the Champions League in Football. He plays for the club of BC AGIPI Courbevoie in France. His teammates in the Season 2011/12 are Frédéric Caudron (Belgium), Jérémy Bury (France) and Jean-Christophe Roux (France).{{cite web|title=Winners Coupe d’Europe 1959–2011 |language=german |url=http://www.gtbuer.de/dokumente/Coupe%20d%27Europe/Sieger%20Coupe%20d%20Europa.pdf |format=PDF; 21 kB |accessdate=2012-07-10 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521143155/http://www.gtbuer.de/dokumente/Coupe%20d%27Europe/Sieger%20Coupe%20d%20Europa.pdf |archivedate=2014-05-21 |url-status=dead }}

On 19 October 2008, he again won the world three-cushion championship in the German city of St. Wendel. He defeated Jérémy Bury of France in the semi-finals and then went on to beat Torbjorn Blomdahl of Sweden in the finals, averaging 1.871 in the five-set match. Through this victory he reached his best ranking in his career, so far, with the 5th place.[http://www.umb.org/ranking/WPRanking_202008.pdf World Ranking List 2008-10-19 (Edition 20/2008)] (PDF; 100 kB) at UMB.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012.

In 2010 he won the best paid tournament at this time, the Crystal Kelly Cup in Nice, France. Again Torbjörn Blomdahl was his losing opponent. One year later he was the runner-up to Filippos Kasidokostas from Greece.{{cite web|title=Final ranking 2010 Crystal Kelly Cup |date=2010-07-06 |url=http://www.kozoom.com/de/billard-karambol/results/3271/rankings.html |publisher=Kozoom.com |language=german |accessdate=2012-10-09 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226141920/http://www.kozoom.com/de/billard-karambol/results/3271/rankings.html |archivedate=2014-12-26 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|title=Final ranking 2011 Crystal Kelly Cup |date=2011-06-29 |url=http://www.kozoom.com/de/billard-karambol/results/6513/rankings.html |publisher=Kozoom.com |language=german |accessdate=2012-10-09 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226212248/http://www.kozoom.com/de/billard-karambol/results/6513/rankings.html |archivedate=2014-12-26 |url-status=dead }} The Crystal Kelly Cup was an invitation tournament which has been sponsored by the Dutch software developer Joop van Oosterom. It has been named after his daughter Crystal Kelly.

At the 2012 3-cushion World Championship in Porto, Portugal he came, together with Caudron in third place. One week later he placed second at the third 3-cushion World Cup of 2012 in the South Korean town of Suwon.

On 17 March 2013 he won the final of the first Lausanne Billiard Masters in Lausanne, Switzerland against Frédéric Caudron from Belgium. Zanetti was winning on the last ball with a fluke to 40-33. In the semi-final, against Torbjörn Blomdahl, he made the highest run of the tournament with 15 balls, which gave him an extra bonus of 400 €. Finally, he earned 6,700 € for his victory.[http://www.kozoom.com/en/billiard-carom/news/marco-zanetti-powers-to-win-in-glorious-endrush.html Marco Zanetti powers to win in glorious endrush] Retrieved on 17 March 2013 Just one week later he was winning the AGIPI Billiard Masters in Schiltigheim. Again, Caudron was his opponent.[http://www.kozoom.com/en/billiard-carom/news/two-giants-one-winner-marco-zanetti.html Two giants, one winner: Marco Zanetti] on Kozoom.com. Retrieved 26 March 2013 On 14 April he won the CEB European Three-cushion Championship. In the final he beats German ex-1996-World-Champion Christian Rudolph with 40-10. In the semi-final, he won third time in row against Caudron, although the Belgian was equalizing world record in High-Run of 28 points. Zanetti also made the new European record in General-Average of 2,500.[http://www.kozoom.com/en/billiard-carom/news/marco-zanetti-completes-hattrick-with-title.html Marco Zanetti completes hattrick with title] on Kozoom.com Retrieved 15 April 2013.

File:Marco Zanetti-Winner as the player of the Year 2003.jpg
Right: Raymond Ceulemans]]

His highest run in a match is 21 and his best game average is 5.555 (50 points in 9 innings).[http://www.sangleeinternational.com/2006.html 2006 Edition of the Sang Lee International Open Site.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029132042/http://www.sangleeinternational.com/2006.html |date=2007-10-29 }}.

In 2003 he won the title as "Player of the Year" in Antwerp.

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Category:1962 births

Category:Living people

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:Italian carom billiards players

Category:World champions in three-cushion billiards

Category:World Games gold medalists for Italy

Category:World Games medalists in cue sports

Category:World Games bronze medalists for Italy

Category:World Games silver medalists for Italy

Category:Medalists at the 2009 World Games

Category:Medalists at the 2013 World Games

Category:Medalists at the 2017 World Games