KARACHI: Veteran cueist Muhammad Asif of Pakistan advanced to the semifinals of the Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship in Colombo after defeating Malaysia’s Lim Kok Leong 5-3 in a tense quarterfinal clash on Monday.
The match, played in a best-of-nine frames format, saw Asif start strongly, claiming the first three frames with dominant scores of 67-0, 43-21, and 27-19, giving him a commanding 3-0 lead.
Lim, however, mounted a spirited comeback. He capitalized on an unforced error by Asif in the fourth frame to win it 59-31, and then edged the fifth 38-32 after Asif missed a crucial black ball, reducing the deficit to 3-2.
Asif regained his composure in the sixth frame, securing it 38-25, but Lim responded with a flawless performance in the seventh, whitewashing Asif 68-0 to bring the match to 4-3.
In a nail-biting eighth frame, both players remained neck-and-neck until the final moments. Lim committed a costly foul on the pink ball, allowing Asif to step in and pot it, sealing the frame 41-21 and clinching the match.
Final scoreline:
67-0, 43-21, 27-19, 31-59, 32-38, 38-25, 0-68, 41-21
Asif will now face another Malaysian player, Thor Chuan Leong, in the semifinals as he eyes the championship title.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s other representatives, Mohammad Sajjad and Awais Munir, were eliminated in their respective quarterfinal matches, ending their campaigns in the tournament.
