Naseem cruises through group stages

IBSF U18 World Snooker Championship defending champion wins all nine frames across three matches

KARACHI: Pakistan's Muhammad Naseem cruised through the group stages to book his place in the knockout rounds in style as he looks to defend his IBSF U18 World Snooker Championship title in China on Wednesday, along with Haris Tahir who topped Group E.

Pakistan are fielding three players in the U18 and U21 championships in China, while Naseem is looking to win his second title at the championships, as this is the last time he is playing at the U18 slot.

"I hope to win this and the U21 event too," the Sahiwal-based cueist told The Express Tribune.



Naseem defeated New Zealand's Denin Bunn 63-12, 64-14, 97-0 in his last Group A match on Wednesday.

He is leading the pack with three wins in three matches so far and is yet to concede a frame, with a frame difference of +9.

Earlier he defeated Ireland's Ronan Whyte 3-0 and  India's Karmesh Patel 3-0 in the opening matches.



Meanwhile, Haris lost to Ireland's Aaron Hill 3-2 in his last Group E match but kept his lead with three wins in four matches and a frame difference of seven. He will need to stay among the top two players from the pool to proceed in the round of 24.

On the other hand, debutant Muhammad Umar Khan managed to win one out of his three matches in Group H so far.

The U18 tournament is featuring 49 players in 11 groups.