Ian Mark, Naseem and others advance to National Snooker last-16

KARACHI: The pre-quarterfinalists of the 49th NBP National Snooker Championship were decided on Monday as Ian Mark John, Owais Munir, Naseem Akhtar, Wasim Abbas, Babar Masih, and Muhammad Shahbaz advanced after their brilliant performances.

According to Tournament Director Naveed Kapadia, the seventh day of the 49th NBP National Snooker Championship was marked by thrilling contests among the top cueists. Meanwhile, Punjab’s Muhammad Shahbaz outclassed Sindh’s Mohammad Hasnain 4-2, with the winning frames being (60-62, 58-13, 68-54, 56-60, 73(73)-0, 57-30).

In another match, Punjab’s Abdullah defeated Balochistan’s Jahanzeb Jahangir 4-3, and Sindh’s Umair Alam dominated Islamabad’s M. Muzammil 4-0 in a one-sided contest. Moreover, Sindh’s Khizr Aziz played brilliantly to defeat Sindh’s Ayan Ali 4-0, while Punjab’s Mohammad Nazir stunned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malik Muzammil 4-1.

Also, World Snooker Champion Muhammad Asif continued his winning momentum, defeating Sharjeel Mahmood of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4-0 with a scoreline of (62-21, 63-57, 66-62, 78-9).

In another match, Punjab’s Babar Masih defeated Balochistan’s Asadullah 4-0, and Punjab’s Wasim Abbas defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sarbuland Khan 4-2. In the remaining games, Ali Raza, Umair Khan, Ibrahim Khan, Faisal Daniyal, and Ahsan Javed won their respective matches.