Bilardo Career
Early Years
Semih Saygıner was born on 11 November 1964 in Sakarya. He was introduced to billiards in 1981 at the age of 16. When he first visited a billiard hall on the recommendation of a friend, his natural talent immediately attracted attention. According to his own account, the moment he picked up a cue for the first time, those around him assumed he had played billiards before. However, Saygıner stated that he played correctly out of reflex, influenced by a mental image he retained from a photograph of a billiards champion he had seen in the newspaper Hürriyet during his childhood.
At the age of 17, he participated in the Istanbul Championship on the suggestion of his friend Tezcan Şen and won first place. In 1987, he won his first Turkish Championship. In 1991, he achieved notable results at the German Open in Germany and the Efes Pilsen Grand Prix in Istanbul. In 1992, he gained international recognition by defeating the legendary billiards player Raymond Ceulemans 3–0 in a tournament held in Berlin, and rose to eighth place in the world rankings.
International Career
In 1994, Saygıner transferred to the Dutch Team League, where he successfully represented Turkish sport. In 1998, at the World Billiards Championship held in Antalya, he defeated his Dutch opponent Cerwin Walentijn to become world champion. In 2003, he represented Türkiye alongside Tayfun Taşdemir at the World Team Championship in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and won the title. That same year, he also secured first place in the European Three Cushion Championship.
Main Achievements and Awards
- 1994 World Cup champion (Gent-Belgium)
- 1994 Olympic Torch Award (Istanbul-Türkiye)
- 1994 World Cup Series third place (6 legs)
- 1995 Korea Open Three Cushion champion (Suwon-Korea)
- 1995 Mersin International Tournament champion (Mersin-Türkiye)
- 1996 Mersin International Tournament champion (Mersin-Türkiye)
- 1998 World Cup champion (Göynük-Türkiye)
- 1998 World Cup runner-up (Antwerp-Belgium)
- 1998 Netherlands International Tournament champion (Zundert-Netherlands)
- 1999 World Cup runner-up (Las Vegas-USA)
- 1999 USA Open Three Cushion champion (San Jose-USA)
- 1999 Netherlands Grand Prix champion (Barendrecht-Netherlands)
- 1999 European champion (Porto-Portugal)
- 2000 World Cup Series second place (5 legs)
- 2000 Denmark Open Three Cushion champion (Denmark)
- 2000 USA Open Three Cushion champion (Boston-USA)
- 2000 USA Open Three Cushion champion (Atlanta-USA)
- 2000 Mexico Open Three Cushion champion (Mexico City-Mexico)
- 2000 Metropolis Diamond Cup champion (Antwerp-Belgium)
- 2000 European Championship second place (Madrid-Spain)
- 2000 World Cup champion (Bogota-Colombia)
- 2000 Greece Open Three Cushion champion (Athens-Greece)
- 2000 Japan Cup champion (Tokyo-Japan)
- 2001 World Cup champion (Bogota-Colombia)
- 2001 Metropolis Diamond Cup champion (Antwerp-Belgium)
- 2002 European Club Champion (with Vanwanrooij Billiards Team, Dutch League) (Oporto-Portugal)
- 2002 Japan Cup champion (Tokyo-Japan)
- 2003 World Cup champion (Las Vegas-USA)
- 2003 World champion (Valladolid-Spain)
- 2003 World Champion in National Teams (with Tayfun Taşdemir) (Germany)
- 2004 World Champion in National Teams (with Tayfun Taşdemir) (Viersen-Germany)
- 2004 World Cup champion (Athens-Greece)
- 2004 World Cup Series second place (5 legs)
- 2004 Player of the Year award (Antwerp-Belgium)
- 2004 Super Cup champion (Antwerp-Belgium)
- 2004 Milliyet Newspaper Special Award for Sportsman of the Year (Istanbul-Türkiye)
- 2005 European Club Championship bronze medalist (with FCPorto, Portuguese League) (France)
- 2005 World Games bronze medalist (Duisburg-Germany)
- 2006 European Championship silver medalist
- 2006 European Club Championship second place
- 2016 World National Teams Championship runner-up (with Lütfi Çenet)
- 2016 World Three Cushion Billiards Championship third place (Bordeaux-France)
- 2018 World National Teams third place (Viersen-Germany)
- 2018 World Cup third place (France)
- 2018 World Cup second place (Belgium)
- 2018 World Championship third place (Egypt)
- 2021: World Cup champion (first title after a career break)
- 2023: World Team Champion (with Tayfun Taşdemir)
- 2025: PBA World Champion
Awards and Honors
- Sportsman of the Year Awards
- Honorary Award from the Turkish National Olympic Committee
- TBF Honorary and Service Certificates
- Belgium Super Cup Champion (2004)
- Player of the Year by the International Billiards Federation (UMB) (2004)
- Nicknames in the international billiards community: “Mr. Magic” and “The Turkish Prince”
