Pakistan's Asif dominates Indian opponent to reach IBSF World Masters final

Pakistan’s seasoned snooker player Muhammad Asif has secured his place in the final of the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship after a commanding 4-2 victory over India’s Manan Chandra on Thursday at the Crowne Plaza in Bahrain.

Asif, a former world amateur champion, displayed impressive resilience and composure. Despite losing two early frames, he mounted a strong comeback to take the match.

The frame scores were: 118-6, 0-84, 25-76, 92-11, 87-62, and 72-41.

After dominating the first frame, Asif stumbled in the next two, allowing Chandra to briefly lead. However, Asif regained momentum and sealed three consecutive frames to clinch the win.

He now awaits the winner of the second semi-final between India’s Vijay Nichani and Brijesh Damani — the latter having previously beaten Asif in the group stage.

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In another major development, Pakistan’s rising snooker talent Hasnain Akhtar advanced to the final of the IBSF World U-17 Snooker Championship with a resounding 4-0 win over Poland’s Oliwier Nizialek.

Hasnain maintained complete control throughout the match, with frame scores of 76-1, 69-8, 88-0, and 62-37. His opponent struggled to register double-digit scores in the first three frames. Hasnain has dropped only one frame during the entire tournament.

He will now face Wales’ Riley Powell in the final, scheduled for Friday. Earlier, Hasnain reached the semi-finals with a solid 3-1 win over Poland’s Krzysztof Czapnik.

Pakistan’s dual presence in the finals highlights the nation’s growing talent and enduring excellence in international snooker.