SangSom 6-Red World Championship: Asif confident of form ahead of Thailand event

Pakistan cueist along with Sajjad and Asjad to take part in tournament

KARACHI: After managing to reach the recently concluded amateur IBSF World 6-Red Championship semi-finals in Pakistan, Mohammad Asif is confident of his game going into the upcoming SangSom 6-Red World Championship, which will be played from September 7 to 12 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The event is known as the official World 6-Red Championship for top professional players of the world and Asif, along with compatriots Mohammad Sajjad and Asjad Iqbal, will be representing Pakistan in the event by virtue of their performances at this month’s amateur world tournament.

Asif and Asjad reached the semi-finals of the IBSF World 6-Red recently and both lost only narrowly, while Sajjad was beaten at the final of the IBSF World Championship.

All three players will be training for a week at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad, albeit without a coach and only relying on each other for help in practice.

“SangSom 6-Red is a big competition where you get noticed by professionals as well, so I’m looking forward to it,” Asif told The Express Tribune. “My target is to repeat the performance that I gave in Karachi, although I know that it won’t be easy.”

The event offers a total of eight million baht in prize money, with 2.5 million baht going to the winner.

Asif, who is a former IBSF World Individual and Team Champion and Asian 6-Red winner, is placed in Group C in the event alongside Thailand’s Noppadon Noppachorn, Egypt’s Ahmed Galal, Iceland’s Kristjan Helgason, Wales’ Michael White and England’s Judd Trump.

Sajjad will be up against Thailand’s Boonyarit Kaettikun, China’s Yuan Sijun, Scotland’s Anthony McGill, Scotland’s John Higgins and England’s Matthew Selt.

Pakistan’s third participant Asjad is in Group F with Thailand’s James Wattana, Malaysia’s Thor Chuan Leong, Wales’ Matthew Stevens, England’s Robert Milkins and England’s Joe Perry.

While Asif and Sajjad have already reported to the camp where they will practice with local cueists including Shahram Changezi, Sajjad is yet to join.

“I will join the camp within two days as I have some personal commitments to fulfil at the moment,” said Sajjad. “I won’t consider it as time lost as I’m in good form and will catch up with my other friends in the camp.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th,  2015.

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