KARACHI, May 11 Pakistan's top two players Mohammad Sajjad and Asjad Iqbal stormed into the knockout pre quarter-finals of the 26th Asian Snooker Championship in Chanthaburi, Thailand, on Tuesday.

Sajjad, a native of Sargodha, emerged group G champion with a clean slate edging past Vietnam's Nhat Thanh Nguyen 4-1 in the last encounter.

The highlight of the match was his second century break (120) in the fifth frame. Final scores were 75-24, 69-31, 104-23, 24-59, 128-7.

His pupil Asjad Iqbal finished runner up in group E with three wins and a loss behind Thailand's Issara Kachaiwong.

Hosts Thailand earned a lion's share of five slots among top 16. They were followed by Hong Kong (3), Pakistan and UAE two each, India, Bahrain, Laos and Singapore one apiece.

Sajjad, who was seeded fourth in the re-seeding, is slated to meet group H runner up Lee Chun Wai of Hong Kong while Asjad faces group F champion Sitthidead Sackbiang of Laos in the pre quarter-finals on Thursday.

Wednesday is the rest day in the event.

Results

Mohammad Sajjad bt Nhat Thanh Nguyen (Vietnam) 4-1 (75-24, 69-31, 104-23, 24-59, 128-7).