KARACHI: Mohammad Asif dethroned defending champion Shahid Aftab in a last-16 thriller before powering into the semi-finals on a day of high drama that saw the title race blown wide open at the National Snooker Championship here at the NBP Sports Complex on Monday.

The three-time world champion Asif first staged a brilliant comeback to oust the title-holder Shahid 5-4 in a nail-biting prequarter-final. Trailing 4-2, Asif won three consecutive frames, sealing the decider with a match-clinching 66 break.

Carrying that momentum into the evening session, Asif then dispatched second seed Mohammad Sajjad 5-2 in the quarter-finals. After trading the opening frames, Asif took control, crafting a decisive 106 break in the fifth frame to secure his semi-final berth.

Joining him in the final four is former national champion Asjad Iqbal, who produced the most dominant performance of the day.

After a straightforward 5-1 last-16 win, Asjad whitewashed 2022 world champion Ahsan Ramzan 5-0 in a stunning quarter-final display, never allowing his young opponent a foothold.

The other semi-final will see Rana Irfan take on Mubashir Raza.

Irfan survived a brutal battle, edging out Awaisullah Munir 5-4 in a quarter-final where the 2024 Asian six-red champion Awaisullah fired a 101 break in vain.

Earlier, Mubashir ended the run of young prodigy Hasnain Akhtar 5-3, rallying with a 101 break of his own after dropping the first frame.

The day claimed other top seeds. Besides Shahid and Ahsan, sixth seed Sohail Shehzad and eighth seed A. Sattar also fell in the prequarter-finals.

Asjad faces Irfan in the first semi-final on Tuesday , followed by the clash between the resurgent Asif and Mubashir.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2026