Snooker Championship: Former World Champion Asif Cruises to Opening-Day Victory
Top cueists delivered strong performances as the 1st Ali Asghar Valika All Pakistan Invitational Snooker Championship 2026 began in Karachi.
Former world champion Muhammad Asif celebrates his opening-day victory in Karachi.
Snooker Championship action got underway on the opening day of the 1st Ali Asghar Valika All Pakistan Invitational Snooker Championship 2026, with former world champion Muhammad Asif and several leading players advancing after impressive victories.
The tournament, organised by World Home Snooker, is taking place at Naya Nazimabad, Karachi, with all first-round matches played in the best-of-five frames format.
Former World Champion Muhammad Asif made a dominant start by defeating Umer Memon of Sindh 3-0 to book his place in the next round.
Punjab’s Rana Irfan edged past Umair Alam of Sindh 3-2, while Mubashir Raza secured a 3-1 victory over Umer Ismail of Sindh.
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In one of the day’s biggest results, Asjad Iqbal of Punjab produced a commanding performance to defeat former World Champion Muhammad Yousuf of Sindh 3-0.
Representing Sindh, Umair Khan overcame Punjab’s Ahsan Ramzan in a closely contested match, winning 3-2.
Punjab’s Sajjad defeated Rizwan Hashmi of Sindh 3-1, while Hasnain Akhtar of Sindh registered a convincing 3-0 win against Muhammad Sahil.
Another close contest saw Shahid Aftab of Punjab beat Umair Ansari of Sindh 3-2.
Punjab’s Waseem Abbas defeated Khizar Aziz of Sindh 3-1, while Ali Zaman of Sindh overcame Muhammad Faizan in a thrilling 3-2 encounter.
Sindh’s Ian Mark John defeated Ghulam Abbas of Balochistan 3-1, and Sharjeel Mehmood of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa completed the day’s action with a 3-0 victory over Ali Abbasi of Sindh.
The championship continues with more first-round matches as leading cueists from across Pakistan compete for top honours in the inaugural edition of the national invitational tournament.
