CAIRO, Oct 28: Mercurial Saleh Muhammad sent the shock waves in the 2002 World Snooker Championship when he toppled world junior champion and favorites Ding Junhui of China 4-3 to storm into the last 32 round Monday.
Pakistan’s star cueists Saleh displaying impeccable potting and intellectual safety play, overpowered this year’s Asian champion and Asian Games gold medallist in Busan 01-87, 102-0, 12-65, 104-35, 100-01, 30-89, 74-51.
Peshawar-based Saleh, playing his ninth world championship twice came from behind to defeat debutant Ding in two hours and 45 minutes drama packed and intriguing tie.
Diminutive Saleh showed a great fighting qualities during the match making his second century break of 107 to get cheer from small Pakistan supporters group.
Fifteen-year-old third seed Ding, who had earned reputation of a giant killer faced his first defeat in group “C” after having recorded straight victories in a row.
A break of 74 gave Ding Junhui a confident start. But the Saleh, who finished third in 1998 world championship in China staged an incredible fightback. He took the second frame with a fabulous break of 107 after he was in position for clearance of 141 but missed the difficult pink in the center pocket.
Ding made two small breaks of 26 and 27 to to gin 2-1 advantage. A brief but vital break of 44 enabled Saleh to draw level 2-2. Playing with rising confidence Saleh hit a sizzling break of 75 to secure 3-2 alead.
Sixth frame saw a keen tussle for safety a bunch of red blocked the top left hand pocket. Saleh was smartly snookered by Ding behind the green ball and conceded 16 points for a foul and miss.
Ding proved a bit lucky as he equal terms by grabbing the sixth.
In a mounting pressure a keen tussle was witnessed and after Ding missed an easy red in the top pocket, Saleh smashed a break of 41 to put China’s teenage sensation under pressure and eventually went on to win the frame 74-51 and a thriller.
Earlier, Saleh and Khurram Hussain Agha registered lacklustre victories on the 8th day Sunday night.
Ranked second in Pakistan, Saleh , who posted a spectacular clearance 115 against Oliver Auns of Estonia the previous day, dropped two frames against Sherif Abu Senna of Egypt while recording his seventh win in group “C” to almost assured himself a place in the knock out stage of the tournament.
Unseeded Saleh started with a break of 70 in the opening frame but struggled at time against unfancied Sherif, who picked up second and penultimate frame before going down 4-2.
Saleh won 71-29, 32-67, 67-16, 75-10, 32-81, 73-61 including two breaks of 34 and 24 in the final frame.
Country’s main hope Saleh is now placed second with seven wins in eight games behind China’s teenage snooker sensation Ding Junhui, who had won all his eight league matches to head the group.
Seventh seed Khurram again made mess of his match against Chan Wen-Tung of Chinese Taipei before sneaking home by pocketing the deciding frame.
Chan, who had lost all his seven previous game gave Khurram testing time in a match last three hours and ten minutes before suffering his eight defeat in row.
Khurram started well and two break of 36 and 28 helped him to win the opening frame. But later the Pakistan number one Khurram looked disappointing as he missed some sitters.
Steady Chan thrice came from behind to level the score. In highly boring and irritating 6th frame which lasted nearly 50 minutes Chan came at terms 3-3 winning 66-36.
However Khurram restored normalcy in the deciding frame with breaks of 21 and 24 to emerge winner 83-02, 47-78, 83-09, 55-64, 70-51, 36-66, 87-02.
The win, however lifted Khurram to third in group “G” with six wins from eight matches with five frame difference, having won 27 frames and lost 22. Unranked Jason Watson of Republic of Ireland is leading the group with eight straight wins.—APP