Ahsan loses quarterfinal in world snooker championship

KARACHI: Pakistan’s campaign in the World Men’s Snooker Championship 2022 ended with the fall of their lone participant, Muhammad Ahsan Ramzan, who went down fighting in the quarter-finals at Birmingham, USA, late on Friday evening.

According to the information released by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) here on Saturday, Cheung Ka Wai of Hong Kong brought about the extinction of Ahsan by demolishing him 3-1 in in the best of five-frame encounter with the scores: 10-59, 60-28, 67-60, 59-53.

The 16-year-old Ahsan got off to a flying start in the quarter-finals as he pocketed the opening frame rather leisurely. He was outsmarted in the next frame but the following two frames witnessed fierce battle for supremacy. Cheung brought all his experience into play to edge out the Pakistani youngster in both the closely contested frames to march into the semifinals.

The defeat of Ahsan meant the end of the road for Pakistan in the event as he was the only representative of the country and there were high hopes after his 3-1 victory over Aly Elsayed of USA 3-1 in the pre-quarters a couple of days earlier.

The youngest among the 16 participants from 14 countries entering the five-day event with Qatar’s Antoni Kowalski (18) and Thailand’s Taweeesap Kongkitchertchoo (19) being the only other teenaged participants.