Imran stunned as snooker event kicks off
Top seed downed by unheralded Usman, other leading cueists enjoy winning start.
KARACHI:
In a major upset, unseeded Farrukh Usman stunned Pakistan number one Imran Shahzad 4-1 on the opening day of the third Jubilee General Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship that got underway at the Karachi Gymkhana yesterday.
While Imran suffered a setback, there were no other surprises as second-seed Sohail Shahzad, former national champion Mohammad Sajjad and Naveen Perwani began their campaigns on a winning note.
Imran, who clinched the last national ranking event in July with a straight-frame victory against Sohail, never got going against Usman.
Usman, representing Sindh, took the first two frames 77-16, 60-16 before suffering a 38-52 loss in the third. However, he never looked back after that and secured the following two frames 68-41 and 47-15 to clinch the match.
Meanwhile, Sohail started his campaign with a 4-2 win over Javed Ansari. The Karachi-based cueist looked confident as he overcame Ansari with frame scores of 80-5, 68-26, 32-75, 49-62, 62-24 and 57-47.
Sajjad, the former Asia number two, also started off impressively outclassing the experienced Abu Saim 4-1. He displayed perfect potting as he won with a 59-39, 49-34, 53-63, 77-30 and 59-51 score-line.
Perwani, a seasoned campaigner, overwhelmed Zahoor Ahmed to take full points on the opening day. He used his vast experience to outwit the upcoming cueist 4-1 with frame scores of 71-13, 66-48, 77-8, 46-60 and 71-32.
In other matches, Mohammad Asif, Umair Alam, Khurram Agha and Sultam Mohammad prevailed over their opponents to boost their chances in the championship.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2011.
In a major upset, unseeded Farrukh Usman stunned Pakistan number one Imran Shahzad 4-1 on the opening day of the third Jubilee General Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship that got underway at the Karachi Gymkhana yesterday.
While Imran suffered a setback, there were no other surprises as second-seed Sohail Shahzad, former national champion Mohammad Sajjad and Naveen Perwani began their campaigns on a winning note.
Imran, who clinched the last national ranking event in July with a straight-frame victory against Sohail, never got going against Usman.
Usman, representing Sindh, took the first two frames 77-16, 60-16 before suffering a 38-52 loss in the third. However, he never looked back after that and secured the following two frames 68-41 and 47-15 to clinch the match.
Meanwhile, Sohail started his campaign with a 4-2 win over Javed Ansari. The Karachi-based cueist looked confident as he overcame Ansari with frame scores of 80-5, 68-26, 32-75, 49-62, 62-24 and 57-47.
Sajjad, the former Asia number two, also started off impressively outclassing the experienced Abu Saim 4-1. He displayed perfect potting as he won with a 59-39, 49-34, 53-63, 77-30 and 59-51 score-line.
Perwani, a seasoned campaigner, overwhelmed Zahoor Ahmed to take full points on the opening day. He used his vast experience to outwit the upcoming cueist 4-1 with frame scores of 71-13, 66-48, 77-8, 46-60 and 71-32.
In other matches, Mohammad Asif, Umair Alam, Khurram Agha and Sultam Mohammad prevailed over their opponents to boost their chances in the championship.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2011.