MANAMA: Pakistan’s campaign at the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship saw contrasting fortunes on Tuesday as Mohammad Asif stormed into the last 16 while compatriot Shahid Aftab bowed out following hard-fought battles.

Asif, who won the Saarc Championship last year, delivered a masterclass in the last 24 round, dismantling Wales’ Tony Morgan 3-0.

The 42-year-old displayed formidable break-building, sealing victory with runs of 55 [74(55)-10], a near-perfect 90 [106(90)-0] and 61 [89(61)-11]. Asif now faces Mohamed Shehab of the UAE in Wednesday’s last 16 round.

Earlier, current national champion Shahid exited the championship after a 4-2 defeat to Qatar’s Bashar Abdulmajeed in the pre-quarters.

Shahid fought valiantly, levelling the match 1-1 with a 65 break [6-77(65)] after dropping the opener. Shahid took the lead in the following frame 74-18 but Abdulmajeed claimed the next three tightly contested frames [74-29, 64-50, 60-47] to advance.

In the concurrently running Under-17 championship, Mohammad Hasnain Akhtar made a strong start.

The young cueist dominated Qatar’s Abdulla Al Musleh 3-0, showcasing promising breaks of 35 [72(35)-2], 40 [65(40)-9] and 31 [81(31)-14].

The Under-17 event features 32 players from 15 nations competing across eight groups, with the top two from each advancing to the pre-quarterfinals.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2025