KARACHI: Former champion Asjad Iqbal delivered the biggest upset of the tournament on Saturday, defeating in-form Mohammad Asif, as the group stage of the 50th National Snooker Championship concluded here at the NBP Sports Complex.

Asjad, the 2024 national champion, edged the three-time world champion Asif 4-3 in a nail-biting clash.

Asif, who held the tournament’s high break of 134 until Friday, fought back from 3-1 down to force a decider, but Asjad held his nerve to clinch the final frame 65-33 and top the group.

The shocks continued as Shah Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa toppled last year’s runner-up Mohammad Sajjad 4-2.

Despite Sajjad crafting a 91 break in the fourth frame, Shah’s consistent scoring sealed a significant victory, though it was not enough to secure a direct prequarter-final berth.

Defending champion Shahid Aftab ensured his smooth progression, overcoming Mohammad Yousaf 4-2 with the help of an 83 break. He heads directly into the last-16 as one of the top eight qualifiers.

The other players earning a bye to the pre-quarter-finals are Rana Irfan, Ali Hamza, Asjad, Ahsan Ramzan, Ahmar Tariq, Mubashir Raza and Sohail Shehzad.

The remaining 16 qualifiers will contest the last-24 round on Sunday.

The last-24 round will see Asif facing Zulfiqar A. Qadir and the exciting Hasnain Akhtar taking on Asif Toba. Other key matches pit Sajjad against Sultan Mohammad and Awaisullah Munir, who scored two centuries (102 and 100) in a 4-2 triumph, against Zaib Khan.

In other final group matches, Awaisullah’s century-powered win over Zulfiqar was matched by Mohammad Shahbaz, who fired a 111 break in his victory. Abdul Javed won a seven-frame thriller against Aakash Rafique, while Mohammad Faizan routed Mohammad Farhan 4-0.

The knockout stage begins on Sunday morning, with the winners of the last-24 round joining the top eight in the pre-quarterfinals.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2026