KARACHI: Pakistan star Mohammad Sajjad returned here on Monday evening from Bangalore after finishing runner-up at the IBSF World Snooker Championship held in Bangalore.

Sajjad went down fighting to Chinese teenager Yan Bingtao in the final after toppling several top players to the way to the final.

Talking to reporters here at the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport on his arrival from India, Sajjad reckoned luck eluded him in the final.

“I could not position the red balls thrice in the final frame,” he regretted. “It was a touch-and-go match and eventually luck favoured Bingtao,” he said.

Sajjad dedicated his runner-up position to the nation, family and the PBSA.

“For a short while I was disappointed after losing the final but then I realised that this loss created more determination and motivation in me to win the title next year [for which he has already qualified being a finalist].

“Now I will focus more on my mental and physical fitness and diet control,” he said.

Sargodha-based Sajjad said he received $3100 in prize money out of which, he said, he gifted $800 to Mohammad Asif Toba and $100 to young team-mate Hamza as a goodwill gesture.

Sajjad acknowledged the support he received from Indian crowd during the event and rated him high after his big wins in the quarter-final and semi-final.

Published in Dawn December 2nd , 2014