KARACHI: Six more players advanced to the pre-quarterfinals as one week of action is completed in the 49th National Snooker Championship here at the NBP Sports Complex on Monday.

Punjab dominated the day’s proceedings as five of its cueists — Awaisullah Munair, Waseem Abbas, Naseem Akhtar, Babar Masih and Moham­mad Shabaz — advanced to the pre-quarterfinals.

They were joined by Sindh’s Ian Mark John, who advanced despite suffering a surprise 4-3 loss to Faisal Daniyal of Islamabad.

Babar, meanwhile, confirmed his last-16 berth following a convincing 4-0 win over Asadullah and Shahbaz outlasted youngster Mohammad Hasnain 4-2 to cruise into the next round.

Waseem bounced back from a slow start to beat Sirbuland Khan 4-2 and secure qualification in the pre-quarters.

Abdullah, Umair Khan and Ahsan Javaid emerged victorious in one of the closest matches the day as the trio won 4-3 against Jahanzaib Jahangir, Shahid Saleem and Ali Dara, respectively.

Meanwhile, in contrast, Umair Alam and Khizar Aziz — both from Sindh — comfortably won their fixtures 4-0 against M. Muzammil and Ayaan Ali, respectively.

High-flying Mohammad Asif — who already progressed into the last-16 — kept his perfect run intact as he crushed KP’s Sharjeel Mehmood 4-0. Asif’s department-mate Mohammad Sajjad also won his match against Balochistan’s Bahadur Khan 4-1.

In Monday’s other matches, Mohammad Nazeer defeated Malik Muzammil 4-1, Ali Raza downed Zubair Tahir 4-1 and Ibrahim Khan got the better of Shahid Shafique 4-2.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

All out
Updated 25 Feb, 2025

All out

PAKISTAN cricket captain Mohammad Rizwan’s assessment was brutal — it could not have been any other way. At ...
Bearing the brunt
25 Feb, 2025

Bearing the brunt

FOR the past several months, we have repeatedly been told by the prime minister and his cabinet that the government...
Afghan resettlement
25 Feb, 2025

Afghan resettlement

AFGHAN refugees who fled their country after the Taliban took over in 2021, and who hoped to resettle in the West,...
Taliban divisions
Updated 24 Feb, 2025

Taliban divisions

The only workable solution lies in Mullah Akhundzada loosening his iron grip on the country.
Oblivious to drought
24 Feb, 2025

Oblivious to drought

PAKISTAN faces two types of drought: one caused by dry weather or lower-than-normal rainfall, and the other ...
Digital children
24 Feb, 2025

Digital children

AS most parents with young children will agree, the easiest way to pacify a bawling child is to hand them a...