KARACHI, Jan 30: Top seed Khurram Hussain Agha, third seed Saleh Mohammad, fourth seed Mohammad Yousuf and sixth seed Farhan Mirza, all made it through to the semifinal of the 28th Red & White National Snooker Championship played on Thursday.

Khurram accounted for second seed Naveen Perwani 5-4, Saleh got the better of eight seed Shakeel Bhatti 5-3, Yousuf came through a 5-3 winner against seventh seed Atiq Latif Bux and Farhan eased past 13th seed M. Faiq Malik 5-0.

The first two seeds Khurram and Naveen were engaged in a marathon struggle which lasted as long as four hours and 45 minutes.

The two were meeting once again after Naveen beat Khurram 7-6 last year when Naveen trailing 1-6 and only a frame away from defeat, rallied splendidly to pinch the next six frames and the match 7-6.

The match on Thursday seemed to be a repeat performance. Khurram scoring with every visit to the table, grabbed the first three frames with Naveen in the doldrums in the red at 0-3.

With Khurram comfortably in front, the fourth frame ended in a stalemate and had to be played again as no player was willing to go for a stroke with 11 reds with the black ball in the centre, were closely knitted near pocket No.6. With each player only willing to touch a red with the cue ball. This fruitless exercise went on for about 20 minutes which not only left the spectators bored.

Finally the referee called off the frame and the fourth was played again.

This time it as Naveen to dominate the proceedings, cashing in on Khurram’s several unforced errors. Not only did he draw level at 3-3, winning the next three frames, Naveen even pocketed the seventh also, to move into a winning 4-3 advantage. Only a frame away from victory.

It seemed that we were witnessing a repeat of the Latif Masters final, when Naveen took a 19-point lead in the eighth frame. Khurram continued to miss easy shots and with his head bowed low, must have been thinking that he was throwing away another winning match to bogeyman Naveen.

However, in a last desperate effort, Khurram began to build up his points again and drew abreast 4-4, bagging the eighth frame 67/37.

Relieved that he was let off the hook, Khurram began the final frame with a flowing break of 37 and never turning back forced Naveen to throw in the towel 65/9, with two reds and the coloured balls still to play for.

In the second quarterfinals, Saleh Mohammad with breaks of 39, 31 and 33 took a flying 4-0 lead. Fighting for survival Shakeel just managed to win the fifth frame 72/65. Gaining confidence Shakeel took the next frame also and clawed his way closer 3-4, when Saleh inoffed on the pink.

Leading again 28/1 in the eighth, Shakeel seemed to be on course of drawing abreast 4-4. But Saleh like a marauding hawk, circling for the kill, suddenly pounced and with a handsome clearance of 79, won the frame and the match 5-3.

In the third encounter Atiq on the attack pinched the first frame and third frames, but on both occasions Yousuf levelled the scores 1-1 and 2-2. Coming in strongly with a break of 41, it was Atiq who went in front 3-2, in this close tussle, but Yousuf was back on even keel, winning the sixth frame to be locked once again at 3-3.

Yousuf was in front 31/6, in the seventh. But another flowing break of 56, saw Atiq surge ahead 61/31, leading by 30 points with only 35 points on the table.

But the former world champion was not finished yet. He sunk the last red ball and then with a delicate slice, sent the blue ball into the sixth pocket. He then snookered Atiq behind the yellow, earning four useful points and snookering him behind the yellow ball again, Yousuf this time earned eight more valuable points.

Potting yellow, green, brown and blue, was now in front by two points. Needing pink to wrap up the frame, Yousuf was successful.

Now leading by four frames to three, Yousuf needed only one more frame to march into the semifinal.

Aware that he was facing a dangerous adversary who could beat anyone on his day, Yousuf scoring steadily with every visit to the table stayed in front in the vital eighth, until be sunk the pink to claim the frame 66/42 and the gruelling match 5-3.

In the last quarterfinals, Farhan Mirza seemed to be in complete control of the proceedings while routing his young counterpart from Punjab’s M. Faiq Malik 5-0.

Quarterfinals results:

Saleh Mohammad bt Shakeel Bhatti 5-3: 81/62, 66/33, 87/37, 86/15, 61/72, 29/67, 48/61, 80/28; Farhan Mirza bt M. Faiq Malik 5-0: 62/35, 69/35, 70/9, 73/60, 72/37; Khurram Hussain Agha bt Naveen Perwani 5-4: 66/52, 89/57, 68/25, 40/68, 40/64, 29/69, 22/.63, 67/37, 65/9; Mohammad Yousuf bt Atiq Latif Bux 5-3: 42/59, 71/25, 21/77, 75/34, 71/13, 36/83, 69/61, 66/42.

Semifinal lineup.

Best of 11 frames beginning at 3.00 p.m.

Mohammad Yousuf v Khurram Hussain: Agha Saleh Mohammad v Farhan Mirza.