Asjad crashes out of Asian Indoor Games snooker contests

ASHGABAT: Pakistan’s medal hope on Monday ended when Asjad Iqbal was beaten by China’s Zhao Xintong 4-1 in the quarter-finals of men’s singles snooker competitions of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games here at the billiards arena of the Olympic Complex.

The 20-year-old Chinese cueist won the first frame of the best-of-seven-frames game 103-24.The 25-year-old Asjad found his way in the second frame and levelled the score 1-1 when he clinched it 76-39.

Xintong swept the next three frames 71-9, 78-40 and 110-0 to complete the rout. The Chinese fired breaks of 106 in the fifth frame, 71 in the third, 58 in the first and 41 in the fourth.

Asjad’s highest break of 76 came in the second frame. Earlier, in the morning session, Asjad had whacked Ahmed Saif of Qatar 4-1 in the pre-quarter-finals.

Asjad did not let the 34-year-old Ahmed to settle down. After winning the first three frames 61-40, 79-4 and 62-50, Asjad got relaxed and lost the fourth frame 28-68. But in the fifth frame he showed resolve once again and won it 64-58 to seal an easy win.

Asjad scored breaks of 33 each in the first two frames, his highest in the contest. Ahmed made a break of 49 in the third and 40 in the fourth frame.

Asjad on Sunday had sealed a remarkable 4-3 comeback win over Basil Hasan Al-Shajar of the Philippines in the first round.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Sajjad won bronze in 6-Red snooker men’s singles when he lost to Yan Bingtao of China in the semi-finals last week. But Sajjad failed to do well in men’s singles snooker slots and exited on Sunday when he tasted 1-4 defeat at the hands of Issara Kachaiwong of Philippines in the first round.Pakistan also failed to click in men’s team event snooker competitions when they were downed 3-1 by little known Myanmar in the first round last week.