Sajjad reaches Korat Cup final

Pakistan’s number one cueist Mohammad Sajjad continued his brilliant run in the SangSom Korat Cup after he defeated former world champion Noppadon Noppachorn 4-2 to become the only second Asian wildcard ever to enter the final of a Thai ranking tournament.

A full house at the Klang Plaza Jomsurang saw Sajjad display his superb potting talents as he overpowered the Thai veteran Noppadon, who claimed he was suffering from a stomach bug.

The Pakistan cueist was not a pre-match favourite as many thought his potting prowess would fail when pitted against the experience and all-round game of Noppadon. However, Sajjad defied all odds and converted half chances served by his veteran opponent into frame-winning breaks repeatedly.

After conceding the first frame, Sajjad took the second and then had a fine break of 73 points in the third to go one-up. He went a step further in the fourth when scored his first century of the tournament, a 101-point scoring spree that not only won the hearts of the fans but also gave him a 3-1 lead.

Noppadon narrowed the margin to 3-2 by grabbing the fifth frame, but his recovery plans folded when Sajjad scored another impressive break of 67 in the sixth frame to wrap up the match. “I am happy to have won today. He is one of the top Thai Asian Games team players and it is a good morale booster for me in preparations for the Games in China later this year,” said a jubilant Sajjad.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2010.