Pakistan’s Hopes Dashed at Asian Snooker Championship

Pakistan endured a disheartening day at the Asian Men’s Snooker Championship in Doha, as the country’s hopes, Mohammad Asif and Shahid Aftab, bowed out in the quarter-finals, which ended the country’s run in the men’s event.

Mohammad Asif’s journey came to an agonizing end in a thrilling 4-3 defeat against Iran’s Amir Sarkosh. The match saw dramatic shifts, with Asif responding to an early setback by producing a century break.

The two cueists exchanged frames in a gripping battle, taking the match down to the wire at 3-3. However, Sarkosh, who had previously eliminated another Pakistani, Mohammad Sajjad, held his nerve in the decisive frame, moving into the semi-finals.

Pakistan’s last remaining hope, Shahid Aftab, suffered a similar fate by losing 4-3 to Qatar’s Alialobaidli. Aftab found himself trailing 2-0 before launching a spirited comeback, winning three consecutive frames to seize the lead. But just as momentum seemed to shift in his favor, Alialobaidli turned the contest around, securing the next two frames to shut the door on Pakistan’s campaign in the men’s category.

Pakistan’s misery in the Asian Snooker Championship was not just limited to the seniors. Young cueists also had an eventful day in the U-21 category, with Hamza Ilyas fighting hard but ultimately falling 3-2 to Iran’s Tirdad Azadpour, while Hasnain Akhtar suffered a 3-0 defeat to India’s Dhruv Patel. However, despite the defeat, Hasnain Akhtar still managed to qualify for the next round.

Meanwhile, Ahsan Ramzan enjoyed a dominant display, comfortably beating Iran’s Ali Lalehganidezaki 3-1, thereby sealing his place in the knockout stage.

With the group phase concluded, Ramzan, Ilyas, and Akhtar have all secured their spots in the last-14 knockout round, which keeps Pakistan’s hopes alive in the youth division.