KARACHI: Pakistani player Muhammad Asif on Wednesday added another feather to his cap by winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha, Qatar for the third time.
Asif, 42, entered the tournament as a qualifier, earning a Wild Card nomination for the event through the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA).
After advancing through the qualifying round, he produced outstanding performances in both the main and knockout stages to win the title.
In the final, Asef faced Iran’s Ali Garigozlou in a best-of-nine frames match.
Asif dominated the opening frame 70-25, although Karagozlu equalized by taking the second frame 94-7. Asif then regained control, winning the third frame 62-8 and excelling in the fourth frame with a flawless break-clearing 106 – his sixth century of the tournament – as he took a 3-1 lead.
He continued his strong performance in the fifth frame, winning 82-12 to increase his lead to 4-1. Although Garagozlou made a brief comeback by winning frames six and seven, Asif secured victory in the eighth by 93 points.
This is Asif’s third world title in singles, after his championships in 2012 and 2019, equaling Indian Pankaj Advani’s record of three individual world titles.
Asif now holds five world titles, including two for his team, making himself Pakistan’s most decorated player.