Karachi: Pakistan Cuesists Muhammad Asif and Shahid Aftab launched the IBSF World Masters Snoker Championship campaign with impressive wins, sealing their positions in the knockout stage on the first day of the event in Bahrain.
The championship has 43 players from 15 countries, and both ASIF and AFTAB have remained undefeated on the first day, winning both their team’s matches.
Set in Group C, the IBSF Asif world champion presented an excellent form to win both matches without throwing a single frame. He started the day with a 3-0 win over Oman’s Haitham Bin Ali, with a framework of 89-33, 69-4 and 53-6.
Asif recorded a 61 break in the first frame and a 46 in the second, highlighting his control over the table throughout the race.
He was followed by another dominant 3-0 victory over Jay Chopra, Ireland, receiving frames 68-33, 79-14 and 67-16. Although he did not publish significant breaks in this fight, Asif maintained a consistent score and regular discipline to seal a complete victory.
Meanwhile, Aftab had to fight hard in both Group B meetings, winning each in the decisive fifth context.
In his first race, Aftab threw Mohamed of Egypt Noweir 3-2. The race saw a floating momentum, with a frame scoring scores reading 68-43, 47-64, 88-35, 31-60 and 94-36.
AFTAB created a bright 88 break in the third context to recover the lead and later sealed the race with fixed flower pots in the decider.
Against Kuwait’s Abdullah Alyousf, Aftab made a remarkable return from 0-2 to win 3-2. The frame scores were 25-70, 31-53, 79-06, 58-13 and 103-25.
The Pakistani Cuesist produced two nice breaks – one 48 in the third context and a decisive 73 in the fifth – to turn the race around and secure a vital victory.
Both Pakistani players will now face Indian opponents in their final matches on Monday, trying to finish the team scene high.
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