The 49th NBP National Snooker Championship saw a thrilling turn of events on its fifth day as Sindh’s Umair Khan pulled off a major upset by defeating former Asian Team Snooker Champion Zulfiqar A. Qadir. Umair triumphed 4-1 in a commanding display, sending shockwaves through the competition at the National Bank Sports Complex’s Snooker Arena.
In the most significant upset of the day, Umair Khan dominated the current Sindh champion and former Asian Team Champion, Zulfiqar A. Qadir, with frame scores of 77-11, 36-62, 62-39, 55-24, and 54-31. This stunning victory marked the fifth upset of the ongoing championship.
Meanwhile, World Snooker Champion Muhammad Asif showcased his exceptional skills by playing a break of 147, the highest possible break in snooker, during his match against Ali Raza of Sindh. Asif, representing National Bank, won the match 4-1, with frame scores of 1-0, 54-21, 98-0, 147-0, 17-90, and 87-16. His performance included a break of 98 in the third frame before completing his maximum break of 147 in the fourth.
In another remarkable feat of the day, Abdul Sattar of Sindh achieved two century breaks in a single match against Ibrahim Khan. Sattar played breaks of 101 and 141, demonstrating his excellent form and precision.
Other notable results saw Bahadur Khan of Balochistan defeating M. Hasnain of Sindh 4-3, N. Mark June of Sindh edging out Abdullah of Punjab 4-3, and Wasim Abbas of Punjab defeating Umair Alam of Sindh 4-1. The competition remains fierce with several high-level matches taking place, including victories for Babar Masih of Punjab, Ahsan Javed of Punjab, and Abdul Sattar of Sindh, among others.
Tournament Director Naveed Kapadia noted the high level of competition, stating that the ongoing 49th NBP National Snooker Championship continues to deliver exciting upsets and displays of world-class skill.
As the tournament progresses, snooker enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating more thrilling encounters in what has already proven to be an action-packed event.
