Asjad, Awais enter knock-out stage of World Snooker

FAISALABAD: Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal and Awais Muneer have progressed to the knockout rounds of the IBSF World 6 Red Snooker Championship in Ulaanbaatar. Both the players have directly for the pre-quarterfinals.

Iqbal won all three of his group stage matches, securing a 4-1 victory over India’s Pandurangaiah E on Sunday. The frame scores were 41-32, 35-36, 75-8, 50-9, and 35-22, with Iqbal hitting a 50-point break in the fourth frame.

Later in the day, Iqbal faced Iraq’s Alijalil Ali in a closely fought 4-3 contest. Trailing 3-2, Iqbal recovered to win the last two frames, finishing with scores of 39-23, 30-34, 66-0, 0-41, 1-54, 39-29, and 63-0. He recorded a 58-point break in the final frame. Muneer began his day with a 4-1 win against Singapore’s Jia Jun Ong, outscoring his opponent 63-0, 65-0, 0-56, 36-2, and 35-26 in the frames.

In the second match, Muneer was edged out 4-3 by Israel’s Shachar Ruberg in a tense encounter. Muneer opened with a 43-point break in the first frame and posted a 64-point break in the fourth, but Ruberg took the deciding frame to seal the match 40-10.

Despite the loss in his last game, Awais kept the top position in his group on the basis of better frame average. Both Pakistani players will aim for further success as they prepare for the knockout stages.