Qualifier Rizwan stuns Asif in National Snooker

KARACHI: Rizwan Hashmi, a qualifier from Sindh, shocked second seed Muhammad Asif but the seeded quintet of Babar Masih, Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir, Muhammad Majid Ali, Muhammad Bilal and Shahid Aftab consolidated their positions as the fourth day of league matches in the Jubilee Insurance National Snooker Championship came to an end here at the Karachi Gymkhana on Saturday.

The preliminary round matches, being contested by 56 cueists, having been divided equally into eight groups, will continue for three more days at the end of which the top two cueists from each group will proceed to the knockout stage of the championship.

Asif, who is also the defending champion, after having succumbed to two defeats in his four outings in Group B, needs to win both his remaining matches to stay afloat in the competition.

Top-seeded Babar is sitting comfortably in Group A while third seed Zulfiqar is leading Group C. Fourth seed Majid and fifth seed Bilal head Group D and Group E respectively while seventh seed Shahid is happily placed at the top in Group G.

Sixth seed Sharjeel Mahmood and eighth seed Rambail Gul, having lost a game each, are in the hunt for a place in the pre-quarter-finals from Group F and Group H respectively.

Majid and Sharjeel also demonstrated their break building abilities by notching up centuries in style against their opponents. Majid chalked up a break of even hundred while taming unseeded Saif Ali Khan and Sharjeel compiled a break of 114 under pressure, which allowed him to draw level against unseeded Abdul Majid before edging him out in the decisive seventh frame.

Haris Tahir of Punjab made a century break of 104 in a lost cause as he was routed by Shafiullah of Khyber Pakhtunkwa in a battle of unseeded cueists.

Results: Rizwan Hashmi (Sindh) bt Muhammad Asif (Pjb) 4-2 (67-72, 70-37, 40-61, 61-48, 55-30, 68-43); Mubashir Raza (Pjb) bt Sarbuland Khan (KPK) 4-1 (64-35, 84-64, 77-36, 23-68, 52-41); Aamir Tariq (Pjb) bt Imran Shahzad (Pjb) 4-3 (55-56, 50-27, 61-14, 21-58, 27-59, 63-40, 66-26); Muhammad Shahbaz (Pjb) bt Rabish Pervez (Bal) 4-0 (70-9, 55-23, 76-9, 71-57); Muhammad Asif (Pjb) bt Asjad Iqbal (Pjb) 4-2 (22-71, 30-77, 59-2, 60-32, 59-57, 77-4); Sarbuland Khan (KPK) bt Hamza Ilyas (Pjb) 4-3 (32-9, 16-88, 62-10, 26-55, 114-8, 64-13, 68-16); Ahmed Shah (Bal) bt Mubashir Raza (Pjb) 4-2 (49-34, 25-57, 81-8, 17-62, 74-58, 64-13); Babar Masih (Pjb) bt Farhan Khan (KPK) 4-1 (80-0, 29-62, 67-17, 114-1, 89-18); Muhammad Mudassir (Isb) bt Rabish Pervez (Bal) 4-3 (49-65, 58-27, 68-48, 41-71, 54-41, 14-62, 68-28); Muhammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb) bt Muhammad Shahbaz (Pjb) 4-1 (31-56, 65-56, 77-36, 85-55, 62-37); Muhammad Majid Ali (Pjb) bt Saif Ali Khan (Bal) 4-2 (63-9, 53-10, 101-4, 56-68, 48-57, 71-11); Sultan Muhammad (Sindh) bt Ahsan Ramzan (Pjb) 4-1 (76-2, 33-70, 81-35, 64-10, 60-36); Ali Raza (Sindh) bt Imran Qamar (Pjb) 4-3 (74-38, 7-83, 73-56, 32-65, 59-10, 24-65, 68-26); Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir (Sindh) bt Musaddiq Mahmood (Isb) 4-1 (56-69, 91-19, 76-35, 63-55, 53-36); Shaikh Mudassir (Pjb) bt Aamir Tariq (Pjb) 4-2; (19-64, 84-11, 13-63, 65-51, 75-15, 78-9); Imran Shahzad (Pjb) bt Fawad Khan (KPK) 4-2 (26-73, 58-41, 71-13, 77-2, 45-74, 37-1); Sharjeel Mahmood (KPK) bt Abdul Majid (Sindh) 4-3 (59-61, 41-79, 78-1, 74-5, 45-58, 115-0, 59-15); Shafiullah (KPK) bt Haris Tahir (Pjb) 4-2 (57-17, 6-114, 55-54, 72-58, 56-65, 68-32); Agha Bilawal (Sindh) bt Ahsan Javaid (Pjb) 4-3 (48-74, 59-24, 39-62, 50-42, 33-57, 61-36, 72-12); Muhammad Bilal (Pjb) bt Muhammad Saleem (KPK) 4-3 (44-68, 8-68, 69-09, 24-64, 78-24, 74-21, 54-42); Rashid Aziz (Pjb) bt Farrukh Usman (Sindh) 4-2 (52-11, 52-59, 21-58, 63-55, 56-6, 58-14).

Today’s Fixtures: Muhammad Majid Ali (Pjb) v Sultan Muhammad (Sindh); Ahsan Ramzan (Pjb) v Abdul Jalil (KPK); Saif Ali Khan (Bal) v Ali Raza (Sindh); Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir (Sindh) v Aamir Tariq (Pjb); Shaikh Mudassir (Pjb) v Bahadur Khan (Bal); Musaddiq Mahmood (Isb) v Imran Shahzad (Pjb); Muhammad Asif (Pjb) v Sarbuland Khan (KPK); Hamza Ilyas (Pjb) v Rizwan Hashmi (Sindh); Asjad Iqbal (Pjb) v Mubashir Raza (Pjb); Babar Masih (Pjb) v Rabish Pervez (Bal); Muhammad Mudassir (Isb) v Fazal Umar Butt (Sindh); Farhan Khan (KPK) v Muhammad Shahbaz (Pjb); Rambail Gul (KPK) v Abu Saim (Pjb); Aakash Rafique (KPK) v Sohail Shahzad (Sindh); Munawar Khaliq (Isb) v Abdul Hameed (Bal); Shahid Aftab (Pjb) v Abdul Sattar (Sindh); Muhammad Ijaz (Pjb) v Ameer Hamza Khan (Isb); Muhammad Sajjad (Pjb) v Aamir Sohail (KPK); Sharjeel Mahmood (KPK) v Shafiullah (KPK); Haris Tahir (Pjb) v Saeed Khan (Bal); Abdul Majid (Sindh) v Agha Bilawal (Sindh); Muhammad Bilal (Pjb) v Abdul Raziq (Bal); Ali Haider (Pjb) v Mirza Waqas Baig (Pjb); Muhammad Saleem (KPK) v Rashid Aziz (Pjb).