Pakistan’s veteran cueist Muhammad Asif has powered his way into the Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship semifinals, defeating Malaysia’s Lim Kok Leong 5-3 in a tense best-of-nine clash in Colombo. With two other Pakistani players, Mohammad Sajjad and Awais Munir, already knocked out in the quarters, Asif’s win is now the country’s last shot at clinching the title in this year’s prestigious continental competition.
How did Pakistan’s veteran cueist Muhammad Asif qualify for Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship semifinals?
Asif came out firing from the get-go, snatching the first three frames with dominant scores of 67-0, 43-21, and 27-19. His precision potting and table control left Lim trailing early. However, the Malaysian staged a strong comeback, exploiting a missed black ball by Asif to secure the fourth and fifth frames 59-31 and 38-32, respectively. The Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship semifinals clash appeared to be swinging back into balance.
Yet Asif showed his champion’s composure by grabbing the sixth frame 38-25, only for Lim to answer back with a clinical 68-0 shutout in the seventh. The eighth frame was a nail-biter, where both players exchanged safe shots until a foul by Lim on the pink ball gave Asif the golden opportunity to close the match 41-21.
The final frame-by-frame scoreline, 67-0, 43-21, 27-19, 31-59, 32-38, 38-25, 0-68, and 41-21, tells the tale of a match that swung like a pendulum. But in high-pressure moments, it was Asif’s nerve and experience that made the difference. He now sets his sights on a semifinal showdown with another Malaysian, Thor Chuan Leong, keeping alive Pakistan’s hopes in the Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship semifinals.
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