KARACHI: Rana Irfan emerged victorious in a pulsating final of the inaugural Ali Asghar Valika All Pakistan Invitational Snooker Championship, edging Mubashir Raza 4-3 in a high-quality contest here at the Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana Snooker Hall on Sunday.

The final was a tale of two magnificent centuries.

After dropping the opening frame to an in-form Mubashir, Irfan responded with a flawless 139 clearance in the second to level the match — a break that would stand as the highest of the entire tournament.

The third frame saw Irfan continue his dominance, but Mubashir clawed his way back in the fourth, setting up a tense decider.

With the title on the line, Irfan produced the decisive moment of the final, compiling another massive clearance of 126 in the seventh frame to seal the championship.

“I wish to represent Pakistan in international events,” Irfan, who follows British cueist Ronnie O’Sullivan, said after the win. “We were scheduled to go to China but due to some visa issues we weren’t able to. So I will try to bring World titles for Pakistan.”

The triumph caps a dominant week for Irfan, who had earlier booked his final berth with a commanding 4-0 semi-final win over Ali Abbasi.

Mubashir, who had knocked out former amateur world champion Mohammad Asif in the pre-quarters, reached the final after a 4-2 win over Mohammad Shahbaz in the other semi-final.

The championship featured a total prize purse of 1.2 million rupees. Irfan claimed the winner’s cheque of Rs300,000, while Mubashir received Rs200,000 as runner-up.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2026