KARACHI, Aug 1: Traditional rivals Saleh Mohammad and Mohammad Yousuf setup an explosive quarterfinal clash after winning their matches in the 11th Red and White snooker cup Thursday.

Saleh dropped the first and fourth frames before overpowering top ranked Khurram Agha 33-79 115-12 54-50 42-69 79-66 67-47 64- 26 in the match that lasted more than two hours.

Yousuf lost the second frame against Farhan Mirza but got his experience into play that became too hot for his bespectacled opponent to handle. The former world and Asian champion won 61-39 28-90 86-13 66-47 97-17 77-56 in less than two hours.

Saleh, usually a free stroking and big-break player, found the going tough as Khurram frustrated him by playing safe and not proving any easy scoring opportunities. Saleh, most of the time, was left to manufacture the breaks but frustration showed as he missed a few sitters and also struggled to capitalize on rare break chances.

Saleh, after losing the opening frame, bounced back with breaks of 54 and 61 to indicate that he would simply run through Khurram. But the challenger revized his strategy and though he couldn’t avert defeat, he succeeded in making Saleh sweat for victory.

Yousuf’s victory over Khurram was dominated by two half century breaks. He scored 57 points on the trot in the third frame and went a little better in the fifth frame when he collected 59 points.

The closest Farhan could come to Yousuf was in the fourth and sixth frames. But he failed to beat the mental toughness of Yousuf who has been playing the game since Farhan was a toddler.

Naveen Perwani continued to be as consistent as ever while recording a comfortable 67-15 76-18 93-8 72-20 36-66 63-26 victory over Ahmer Shaikh.

Naveen, a thorough gentleman and a great sportsman, recorded breaks of 65, 48, 48 and 34 in the first four frames to fix a quarterfinal meeting with Atiq Latif Bux who overpowered Imran Shahzad in a marathon.

In a match of fluctuating fortunes, Atiq twice trailed but eventually managed to take a 4-3 lead. Nevertheless, Shahzad came back roaring at him to win the eighth frame to take the match down to wire.

However, Atiq’s masterly break of 54 in the deciding frame left Shahzad with just one option — throw in the towels but not before putting up a magnificent performance.

Atiq won 33-74 62-28 35-69 76-50 49-61 67-40 74-11 31-69 67-20 in nearly 200 minutes of heart-throbbing action. Besides a decisive break of 54 in the last frame, Atiq also had breaks of 32, 46 and 36 (in the fourth frame) and 64 whereas Imran had breaks of 45 and 41.

Arifullah, who Wednesday reach the round of 16 courtesy Atiq who didn’t turn-up for his third qualifying match, was hammered 5-1 by Amit Perwani whose victory included breaks of 47 and 69.

Results (round of 16):

Naveen Perwani bt Ahmer Shaikh (5/1) 67-15 76-13 93-8, 72-20, 36-66, 63-26; Saleh Mohammad bt Khurram Agha (5/2) 33-79 115-12 54-50 42-69 79-66 67-47 64-26; M.Faiz Malik bt Kamran Shah (5/2) 51-21 2-57 52-46 64-44 62-26 60-11; Mohammad Yousuf bt Farhan Mirza (5/2) 61-39 28-90 86-13 66-47 97-17 77-56; Vishan Gir bt Farhan Noor (5/2) 18-72 75-46 52-70 65-50 103-1 (42 60) 55-45 71- 0; Amit Perwani bt Arifullah (5/1) 60-46 79-29 88-0 14-78 78-18 62-46; Atiq Latif Bux bt Imran Shahzad (5/4) 33-74 62-28 35-69 76-50 49-61 67-40 74-11 31-69 67-20; Minhas Malik bt Irfan R.Khan (5/0) 65-34 57-19 55-41 73-29 68-36.

QUARTERFINALS LINEUP (BEST-OF-NINE FRAMES):