Asif out of IBSF Masters after quarterfinal defeat

LAHORE: Pakistan’s world champion cueist, Mohammad Asif, saw his impressive run end at the IBSF Masters World Snooker Championship 2024, exiting in the quarterfinals after a 2-4 defeat to Welsh player Philip Williams.

Asif, who clinched the world title just last week, advanced smoothly through the initial rounds of the Masters but was outplayed in a challenging best-of-seven frames match.

The quarterfinal encounter saw Asif take two frames but ultimately fall short, with Williams securing a 4-2 win. The frame scores reflected a closely contested match, with Williams winning by 101-1, 21-68 (61), 78-16, 68 (64)-20, 12-68 (43), and 70-60. Asif’s effort to turn the match around fell short as he couldn’t overcome Williams’s strategic play in the decisive frames. Asif will return to Pakistan following his successful campaign, having secured another world title under his name.

His arrival is scheduled for Sunday (today) at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, where he is expected to receive a warm welcome.