KARACHI, June 11: Seventeen-year-old world champion Pankaj Advani, advanced into the final of the 20th Asian snooker championship held in Aqaba Jordan, when he ended the winning streak of Kwok Wai Fung from Hong Kong 5-2.

In the qualifying rounds young Pankaj accounted for Pakistan's Imran Shehzad 4-1. Pankaj will now meet fellow Indian cueist Alok Kumar, who whizzed past Habib Mahmood from Bahrain 5-0.

Earlier the young Bahraini caused quite a stir when he sent former world and Asian champion Mohammad Yousuf packing home with 4-1 victory in the pre-quarterfinals. Not satisfied with this great triumph, Habib then sent two time Asian champion Mohammad Yasin from India spinning out with a 5-2 victory.

Habib Mahmood is the protege of Pakistan's world No.2 Saleh Mohammed, who has been coaching the Bahrain team for the last two years. However Habib's great run ended in the semifinals when he went down to one of India's finest cueist Alok Kumar 5-2.

Earlier, in the pre-quarter-finals Alok ended the pretensions of Thailand's Issara Kachalwong 4-1, sent Singapore's Alex P Yi-wei out in the semifinals 5-2 and then ended the winning streak of Habib Mahmood.

Imran Shehzad seeded No.5 in Pakistan and representing his country overseas for the very first time, also made his exit in the pre-quarterfinals, bowing out to Yasin Merchant 4-1, which enabled the Indians field three players in the last eight.

It was after a very long period that Pakistan did not have a single representative till the quarterfinal round. Kwok Wai-Fung and Habib Mahmood will now play for the third and fourth slots in the best of five frames.

Opinion

Editorial

Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....
Soft on traders
08 Jun, 2026

Soft on traders

THE Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200m has been designed as a ‘pragmatic...
Ceasefire in name
Updated 08 Jun, 2026

Ceasefire in name

Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce that was supposed to halt the conflict in April, yet neither appears willing to abandon negotiations altogether.
Damaged childhoods
08 Jun, 2026

Damaged childhoods

CHILD abuse is so prevalent that the UN ranked Pakistan as the least safe country for children. Even so, more than...