KARACHI, Dec 10: Senior vice-president of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS), Ali Asghar Valika, has hailed the regional supremacy at the recently concluded International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) snooker championship in Latvia where four of the six finalists were from Asia.

“The Asians reigned supreme by capturing men’s and masters’ titles besides also providing the losing women’s finalist,” Valika told Dawn.

Zhou Yuelong got the better of Zhao Xinlong by 8-4 frames in all-China final to land men’s title while Thailand’s Phisit Chandsri won the honours in masters, brushing aside Australian Glen Wilkinson 6-0. Belgium’s Windy Jans seized women’s crown, inflicting a 5-3 defeat on Chinese Chunxia Shi.

Valika, who is officiating as ACBS president in the absence of Hani Khoury, also commended the remarkable performances of Chinese cueists in the annual spectacle.“Your players, particularly, the teenaged men’s finalists, have opened new leaf in the annals of game and done us proud,” he said in a communication to the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Federation (CBSF) chief on behalf of the ACBS.

While recalling his couple of visits to China as ACBS chief in 1994 and later, Valika said after watching school children playing he had then warned “beware of China”. “The eye coordination of Chinese on the table in cue sports is excellent,” he added.

Commenting on Pakistan’s performance, the former Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) said it’s unfortunate that Mohammad Sajjad, who had the capacity to upset the Chinese, went down fighting in the semi-final.

He said when Sajjad won the Korat Cup, a Thai ranking event, beating the top Thais on their soil, the then ACBS chief Sindhu Pulsrivong had commented: “Ali, he [Sajjad] is a jewel, look after him, if you can’t, send him to Thailand.”

Valika added that defending champion Mohammad Asif took too much pressure and could not play to his true potential.