A quartet of Pakistani players kicked off their campaigns with impressive performances at the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha on Saturday.
The championship features 48 players divided into 12 groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stage. The eight group winners will go directly to the last 16, while the remaining players will compete in the Last 24 round.
Pakistan’s Awaisullah Muneer, Mohammad Asif, Asjad Iqbal, and Mohammad Naseem Akhtar all recorded convincing victories to start the tournament on a high note.
Awaisullah, who claimed the 6-red title in Riyadh in July, overcame a slow start to defeat Thailand’s Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn 4-2. Mohammad Asif, a two-time amateur world champion, also had a stellar outing, overpowering India’s Kamal Chawla 4-1. Current national champion Asjad Iqbal defeated Isle of Man’s Darryl Hill 4-1, showcasing his skill with breaks of 84 and 51, despite Hill putting up a fight in the fifth frame [scores: 87-15, 100(84)-01, 79-00, 42-59, 74(51)-60(60)].
Mohammad Naseem Akhtar also impressed, dominating Qatar’s Mhanaa Alobaidli with a clean 4-0 sweep, highlighted by breaks of 52 and 54 [scores: 73-06, 94(52)-30, 65(54)-06, 74-14].
