DOHA: Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif continued his impressive run at the IBSF World Snooker Championship, securing a spot in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

Asif’s experience shone through in his quarter-final victory over UAE’s Mohamed Shehab, a thrilling 4-1 [7-111(100), 54-5, 109(109)-0, 119(112)-1, 60-48] win that lasted almost two hours.

Despite Shehab’s century break (100) in the first frame, the 42-year-old Asif fought back with breaks of 109 and 112. He sealed the win with a crucial pot on the pink in the fifth frame.

In Monday’s late pre-quarterfinals, Asif edged Qatar’s Ahmed Saif 4-3. His breaks of 53, 69, and 100 proved crucial in the nail-biting victory.

However, Asjad Iqbal, the current national champion, saw his campaign end with a 4-2 [70-20, 71-0, 46-76(52), 35-73, 89(73)-31, 61(52)-19] loss to Cypriot cueist Michel Geogriou in the last-16. The 31-year-old’s breaks of 52 were not enough to overcome Geogriou’s consistent performance.

Asif, a two-time world amateur champion, now face Geogriou in the semi-finals.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2024