RIYADH: Pakistan’s snooker stars Hasnain Akhtar and Awaisullah Munir clinched victory in the ACBS Asian 15-Red Under-21 and 6-Red Snooker Championship, dominating the finals with impressive performances at the Riyadh Front Arena on Tuesday.

Hasnain won the Asian 15-red Under-21 title, defeating defending champion Ahsan Ramzan 4-3 (64-18, 10-55, 32-78, 67-16, 24-64, 94-20(93), 70-35) in a thrilling match. This victory marks Pakistan’s second Asian Under-21 Championship title.

Hasnain took the first frame with a break of 64, but Ahsan fought back, winning the next two frames. Hasnain regained the lead with a break of 67 in the fourth frame. Ahsan levelled the match, taking the fifth frame, but Has­nain’s break of 93 in the sixth frame proved decisive.

Meanwhile, Awais­ullah, 30, outplayed Nansen Wan of Hong Kong 6-3 [65-0(65), 26-35, 36-27, 20-38, 65-0, 45-13, 60-08, 0-34, 46-37] in the 6-red final, showcasing his mastery.

Awaisullah took the first frame with a break of 65, setting the tone for the match. Nansen fought back, winning the second frame, but Awais regained control, taking the next three frames.

Nansen won the sixth frame, but Awais sealed the victory with a convincing 46-37 win in the ninth frame.

Awaisullah’s victory came after a heartbreaking loss in the Asian Cham­pionship final in Doha earlier this year.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2024