KARACHI: Two Pakistanis, an Indian and a Chinese completed the semi-final quartet in the men’s competition of the World 6-Reds event at Hotel Movenpick on Saturday.

Three cueists among the four have world titles under their belts – defending champion Pankaj Advani, 2012 IBSF world amateur champion Mohammad Asif and 2014 champion Yan Bingtao – besides Asjad Iqbal.

Hosts Pakistan has ensured at least two bronze medals in case both the cueists could not go beyond the semis.

Indian celebrity Pankaj, who had won 12 world titles in his career so far, is drawn to face Asjad in the best of nine frames first semi-final at 10am while Asif will be up against Bingtao in the second semi-final at 12noon.

The 30-year-old Pankaj, who was not in his true elements during the league winning 18 and losing 10 frames in four matches on way to making the last 32-round, faced little opposition while routing Afghanistan’s Mohammad Rais Senzahi 5-2 in the quarters the scores being 66-8, 7-41, 50-2, 39-1, 48-15, 17-43, 58-6.

In two preceding matches, he had sent Pakistan’s Babar Masih packing 5-1 in the last-16 and compatriot Faisal Khan 5-3 in the last 32-round.

Bingtao, who captured 15-Reds world title at Bangalore last year by getting the better of Mohammad Sajjad 8-7 in the epic final, recovered from 2-3 down to whip Pakistan’s Mohammad Bilal 5-3 (43-0, 0-47, 40-0, 0-53, 0-57, 62-8, 44-0, 59-0) to justify his credentials.

He disposed of two Malaysians – Kok Leong Lim 5-2 in the last 16 and Keen Hoo Moh by the identical margin in last-32.

Bilal produced his career-best performance when in the run up to the quarters, he sent Indian Sourav Kothari packing 5-4 in the last-42 round, beat fellow countryman Mohammad Sajjad 5-2 in the last-32 and blanked Bahrain’s Habib Subha 5-0 in the last-16.

Asif sneaked into the last four while removing Pakistan No 2 Shahram Changezi 5-3 (59-14, 41-26, 0-59, 1-47, 33-35, 55-6, 35-15, 81-3).

He accounted for Mohamed Shehab of UAE 5-3 and Khurram Agha 5-0 in the preceding knockout matches.

Asjad also made his mark when he got the better of Indian Manan Chandra in convincing fashion 5-1 (44-23, 6-63, 59-9, 63-7, 44-0, 51-19).

Earlier, he won back-to-back matches against Varun Kumar in the last-16 and Man Hoi Leong n the last-32.

Similarly, two Indians and one each from Hong Kong and the Philippines have stormed in the women’s 6-Reds last four.

Vidya, who is Indian 6-Reds champion, came from the jaws of defeat to register 4-3 win over Latvia’s Tatjana Vasiljeva. She won the duel (33-21, 13-42, 14-50, 21-31, 45-0, 44-0, 43-21).

“I’d a good start but suddenly conceded three frames before making a comeback in a do-or-die battle to win,” Vidya, who hails from Bangalore, told Dawn soon after her triumph.

Rejoicing the victory with teammate Amee Kamani in the hall, she sounded optimistic that one of them will be through to the final.

Earlier, Amee has beaten Philippines Floriza Andal in convincing fashion 4-1 (40-8, 44-10, 47-17, 5-41, 45-0).

In other matches, Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee blanked Arantxa Sanchis from India straight (44-0, 26-7, 63-8, 38-26) while Philippines Denis Santos ousted Chitra Magimairajan from India in similar fashion (51-10, 43-30, 38-27, 34-17).

Results:

Men’s 6-Reds:

Quarter-finals:

Asjad Iqbal (Pakistan) bt Manan Chandra (India) 5-1 (44-23, 6-63, 59-9, 63-7, 44-0, 51-19); Pankaj Advani (India) bt Mohammad Rais Senzahi (Afghanistan) 5-2 (66-8, 7-41, 50-2, 39-1, 48-15, 17-43, 58-6); Mohammad Asif (Pakistan) bt Shahram Changezi (Pakistan) 5-3 (59-14, 41-26, 0-59, 1-47, 33-35, 55-6, 35-15, 81-3); Yan Bingtao (China) bt Mohammad Bilal (Pakistan) 5-3 (43-0, 0-47, 40-0, 0-53, 0-57, 62-8, 44-0, 59-0).

Last 16-round:

Pankaj Advani (India) bt Babar Masih (Pakistan) 5-1 (4-32, 66-0, 69-0, 41-30, 67-, 70-0); Manan Chandra (India) bt Soheil Vahedi (Iran) 5-0 (39-35, 43-0, 39-0, 40-27, 47-8); Mohammad Bilal (Pakistan) bt Habib Subha (Bahrain) 5-0 (49-0, 50-5, 50-7, 30-11, 40-15); Mohammad Rais Senzahi (Afghanistan) bt Fung Kwok Wai (Hong Kong) 5-2 (38-24, 33-28, 1-43, 0-49, 38-13, 48-6, 44-0); Mohammad Asif (Pakistan) bt Mohamed Shehab (UAE) 5-3 (28-42, 23-44, 23-31, 69-0, 81-0, 50-14, 33-12, 34-24); Yan Bingtao (China) bt Kok Leong Lim (Malaysia) 5-2 (58-6, 0-59, 42-0, 28-15, 0-45, 69-0, 57-1); Asjad Iqbal (Pakistan) bt Varun Kumar (India) 5-3 (15-29, 0-65, 0-50, 65-0, 42-29, 56-3, 53-4, 61-6); Shahram Changezi (Pakistan) bt Shahid Aftab (Pakistan) 5-3 (40-11, 8-41, 56-11, 51-19, 41-0, 12-49, 0-46, 34-1).

Last 32-round:

Varun Kumar (India) bt Dharminder Lilly (India) 5-1 (28-19, 70-0, 51-1, 1-59, 49-8, 45-0); Asjad Iqbal (Pakistan) bt Man Hoi Leong (Hong Kong) 5-1 (34-1, 48-10, 43-9, 43-4, 33-39, 49-1); Soheil Vahedi (Iran) bt Hamed Zarehdoust (Iran) 5-3 (8-69, 52-16, 45-0, 67-0, 34-22, 7-40, 4-52, 34-24); Manan Chandra (India) bt Chai Wai Au (Hong Kong) 5-4 (0-60, 37-0, 0-58, 61-0, 40-10, 30-35, 64-0, 0-70, 38-28); Babar Masih (Pakistan) bt Mohammed Al Joaker (United Arab Emirates) 5-4 (30-10, 34-37, 0-35, 76-17, 0-39, 35-16, 14-27, 71-0, 49-18); Pankaj Advani (India) bt Faisal Khan (India) 5-3 (60-7, 16-33, 33-2, 25-38, 42-8, 49-22, 0-61, 37-0); Mohammad Rais Senzahi (Afghanistan) bt Lee Chun Wai (Hong Kong) 5-2 (49-6, 45-0, 45-0, 0-72, 35-33, 17-44, 37-26); Fung Kwok Wai (Hong Kong) bt Varun Madan (India) 5-2 (23-49, 0-45, 39-12, 35-19, 38-21, 68-0, 54-0); Shahram Changezi (Pakistan) bt Ali Alobaidli Qatar) 5-1 (73-0, 13-37, 72-0, 38-21, 39-17, 64-1); Shahid Aftab (Pakistan) bt Saleh Mohammadi (Afghanistan) 5-4 (50-18, 0-44, 28-31, 17-33, 40-5, 34-20, 45-1, 30-31, 50-0); Mohammad Asif (Pakistan) bt Khurram Agha (Pakistan) 5-0 (66-1, 73-0, 36-23, 64-0, 44-15); Mohamed Shehab (UAE) bt Mohammad Asif Toba (Pakistan) 5-1 (47-16, 14-44, 35-12, 37-28, 42-32, 71-0); Yan Bingtao (China) bt Keen Hoo Moh (Malaysia) 5-2 (38-5, 0-60, 52-5, 46-0, 5-35, 52-1, 33-23); Kok Leong Lim (Malaysia) bt Amir Sarkhosh (Iran) 5-4 (61-21, 0-65, 0-49, 8-55, 1-29, 35-18, 50-21, 28-21, 55-15); Habib Subha (Bahrain) bt Mohammad Majid Ali (Pakistan) 5-4 (50-1, 44-7, 36-22, 14-39, 20-42, 35-20, 34-39, 22-29, 29-15); Mohammad Bilal (Pakistan) bt Mohammad Sajjad (Pakistan) 5-2 (19-36, 40-2, 35-29, 44-1, 52-14, 6-44, 0-57).

Last 42-round:

Mohammad Asif Toba (Pakistan) bt Lin Tang Ho (Hong Kong) (39-44, 35-22, 34-23, 4-46, 48-0, 1-39, 65-4, 45-0) 5-3; Ali Alobaidli (Qatar) bt A. Mohsin Al Abdulrahman (Qatar) 5-3 (46-5, 20-30, 26-1, 29-24, 34-22, 11-40, 4-44, 34-18); Hamed Zarehdoust (Iran) bt Rahul Ajay Sachdev (India) 5-2 (30-39, 50-7, 28-38, 60-1, 45-5, 66-0, 40-26); Kok Leong Lim (Malaysia) bt Simon Dent (England) 5-3 (42-29, 45-16, 15-43, 70-0, 0-47, 0-45, 41-13, 32-26); Manan Chandra (India) bt Salim Ali Alsuwaidi (UAE) 5-3 (26-37, 26-38, 0-38, 37-15, 37-10, 36-7, 45-0, 50-4); Keen Hoo Moh (Malaysia) bt Chau Hon Man (Hong Kong) 5-2 (43-17, 65-7, 0-32, 21-44, 42-8, 54-10, 33-28); Mohammad Bilal (Pakistan) bt Sourav Kothari (India) 5-4 (22-28, 56-0, 48-9, 7-50, 6-65, 45-23, 28-34, 33-25, 41-8); Mohammed Al Joaker (UAE) bt Bashar Hussain Abdulmajeed (Qatar) 5-4 (1-42, 41-10, 65-6, 8-43, 0-69, 22-26, 42-23, 33-14, 34-6); Varun Madan (India) bt Mohsen Bukshaisha (Qatar) 5-4 (44-16, 70-0, 21-45, 6-42, 0-71, 41-12, 26-34, 42-22, 48-18); Varun Kumar (India) bt Nansen Sin Man Wan (Hong Kong) 5-1 (26-39, 42-20, 45-7, 57-8, 49-6, 39-14).

Women’s 6-Reds:

Quarter-finals:

Vidya Pillai (India) bt Tatjana Vasiljeva (Latvia) 4-3 (33-21, 13-42, 14-50, 21-31, 45-0, 44-0, 43-21); Ng On Yee (Hong Kong) bt Arantxa Sanchis (India) 4-0 (44-0, 26-7, 63-8, 38-26); Amee Kamani (India) bt Floriza Andal (Philippines) 4-1 (40-8, 44-10, 47-17, 5-41, 45-0); Denis Santos (Philippines) bt Chitra Magimairajan (India) 4-0 (51-10, 43-30, 38-27, 34-17).

Tuesday’s fixtures:

Women’s semi-finals at 10am: (Best of seven frames)

Amee Kamani (India) v Ng On Yee (Hong Kong); Denis Santos (Philippines) v Vidya Pillai (India).

Men’s semi-finals: (Best of nine frames)

Asjad Iqbal (Pakistan) v Pankaj Advani (India) at 10am; Mohammad Asif (Pakistan) v Yan Bingtao (China) at 12noon.

Women’s final at 2pm; men’s final at 4pm.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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