MANAMA: Pakistan celebrated a double triumph at the IBSF World Snooker Championships as teenage sensation Mohammad Hasnain Akhtar cruised into the final of the Under-17 event and the nation’s most decorated cueist, while Mohammad Asif secured his place in the masters semi-finals at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Manama on Thursday.Hasnain continued his imperious run in the U-17 event as he booked his final berth with a commanding 4-0 semi-final victory over Poland’s Oliwier Nizialek.

Hasnain -- who clinched the Asian U-21 title last year -- dominated the proceedings, to win the frames [76(41,34)-1, 69-8, 88(46,42)-0, 62-37].

This emphatic win followed his equally impressive performances in the knockout stages. Earlier on Thursday, the 16-year-old Hasnain had overcome another Polish cueist Krzysztof Czapnik 3-1 in the quarter-finals.

Hasnain now faces Riley Powell of Wales in the final on Friday.

After dropping the first frame [1-78(57)], Hasnain responded powerfully with breaks of 46 [92(46)-1] and 60 [67(60)-45] to take the next two frames before sealing victory (58-16). His path to the quarters included a 3-0 win against Oman’s Mutasim Al Saadi in the pre-quarterfinals [75-41, 56(37)-31, 81-06].

Hasnain will now face Riley Powell of Wales in the final on Friday.

Meanwhile, Asif -- who won his third IBSF title last year in Doha -- stayed on track to claim his sixth international title as he outclassed Bahrain’s Habib Sabah 4-0.

The 42-year-old Asif dominated the match, winning with emphatic scores. He sealed the first frame with a 68 break [68(68)-8], took the second (57-37), replicated his first-frame score with another 68 break [68(68)-8] and closed out with a 40 break [40(40)-8].

Asif, eariler, also overcame a stern challenge from Mohamed Shehab of the UAE in a closely contested pre-quarterfinal fixture.

After losing the first two frames (56-68, 21-72), Asif in an astounding comeback bagged the next three frames [57-21, 80(80)-0, 68-45(43)] to seal the tense sixth frame 68-58 for a hard-fought 4-2 victory.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025