Pakistani cueists continue to shine at IBSF 6 Reds
Pakistan's Hasnain Akhtar concentrates on his game during the IBSF World Masters, U17, U21 & Men 6Red Snooker Championships 2025 in Manama, Bahrain. PHOTO COURTESY: PBSA
Pakistani cueists continued to shine at the IBSF World Masters, U17, U21 & Men 6Red Snooker Championships 2025 as the newly crowned IBSF U17 champion Hasnain Akhtar defeated Egypt's Mohamed Abdelkader 4-0 (70(70)-0, 45-11, 57(35)-7, 48-2).
Meanwhile, the 2022 IBSF World Champion Ahsan Ramzan outplayed Oman's Sami Al Hamrashadi 4-0 (60(30)-1, 39-16, 48-9, 50(50)-11) in one-sided matches of the 6Reds championship in Manama, Bahrain on Sunday.
The 2025 IBSF Masters Champion Muhammad Asif also outclassed Ireland's Jay Chopra 4-0 (66(66)-0, 75(75)-0, 54(33)-8, 48(32)-12) in his 6 Red match.
In other matches of the day, Ahsan also defeated Bahrain's Abdullah Mohammed 4-0 (39-14, 41(41)-0, 42-31, 38-4), whereas, Hasnain faced a lose against Hong Kong's Chau Hon Man 4-2 (41-9, 38-16, 0-69(69), 39-33, 0-67(67), 30-29).
The teenager has been impressive in his play and has won the IBSF U17 championship title in a stellar manner; throughout the entire tournament, he dropped only one frame.
Earlier, Ahsan also registered a victory in the U21 Championship against Mahmood Ahmed of Bahrain 3-0 (59-2, 82(31)-6, 74(57)-6).
Pakistan Billiard and Snooker Association (PBSA) are fielding four players in the championships in Manama. The squad includes Asif, Shahid Aftab, Hasnain, and Ahsan.
They are accompanied by the team manager and international referee Naveed Kapadia.
Kapadia described the Pakistani campaign at the championships to be phenomenal so far; they have managed to create history by bagging the U17 title and the Masters titles. Hasnain's achievement was the first for Pakistan, and Asif ended the 19-year drought to win the Masters title, which was last won by Muhammad Yousuf.
Kapadia also explained that the conditions and the environment in Manama are great for the players, and particularly, they are enjoying the world-class facilities, including the tables from the best brand in the world.
"We are very happy with the arrangements as the championship is taking place at a 5-star hotel. In previous years, we would always get the accommodations in the best hotels, but the competition would take place in an academy. This time we have a more relaxed and conducive environment to play well. The tables provided to us are also of top quality," he concluded.