Ahsan crashes out of SAARC Snooker

KARACHI: Pakistan’s hopes of winning the title were dashed as their premier cueist Ahsan Ramzan crashed in the semifinals of the 2nd Sheikh Kamal SAARC Snooker Championship 2022 on Wednesday.

According to the information shared by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Pakistan’s lone participant in the last four stage of the competition went down fighting at the Dhaka Club in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

Interestingly, Ishpreet Singh Chadha of India, who had eliminated Pakistan’s vastly experienced Babar Masih in the quarter-finals the other day, also brought about the exit of the young and promising Ahsan.

Ishpreet overcame Ahsan 6-4 after a marathon 10-frame battle with the scores of 85-34, 78-39, 8-72, 54-69, 75-8, 0-84, 75-5, 84-0, 37-86, 84-0 to set up an all-India final on Thursday (today) in which he will be taking on compatriot Brijesh Damani.

Ahsan, having played brilliantly to tame the veteran Saleh Muhammad of Afghanistan in the quarter-finals, found the going tough in the semifinals against his Indian opponent who established early lead by pocketing the first couple of frames.

The tables were reversed in the next couple of frames which brought the title clash to parity at two-all. The Indian cueist inched ahead again by claiming the fifth frame but Ahsan responded with improved performance in the next frame to make it three-all. A break of 74 in the seventh frame enabled Ishpreet to go 4-3 up and he sustained the momentum by chalking up another astonishing break of 84 in the very next frame to move swiftly to 5-3 lead.

Ahsan kept the contest alive by snatching the ninth frame but the Indian wrapped up the match with a wonderful break of 84 in the tenth frame.