KARACHI: Rana Irfan staged a spectacular recovery from three frames down to defeat former champion Asjad Iqbal 5-4, setting up a title clash with veteran Mohammad Asif in the final of the National Snooker Championship here at the NBP Sports Complex on Tuesday.

In a semi-final of extraordinary shifts in momentum, Irfan was outplayed early as Asjad, the current world cup team champion, took the first three frames, including the third with a break of 54. Facing elimination, Irfan began his fightback by narrowly taking the fourth frame 67-52.

He found his rhythm with a 57 break to win the fifth, but Asjad, who won the national title in 2024, responded with a dominant 95 clearance to move within one frame of victory at 4-2.

With his back to the wall, Irfan produced his best snooker, firing breaks of 64 and 53 in the next three frames to complete a stunning 5-4 victory.

The other semi-final was a more controlled affair. Three-time world champion Asif opened with a 105 break against Mubashir Raza and never trailed, sealing a 5-2 win.

Mubashir’s only significant response was a 71 break in the third frame, but Asif’s consistency proved decisive.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2026