Snooker: Asjad brings Shahram back down to earth
Clinches second successive ranking snooker final 7-2.
KARACHI:
Shahram Changezi bit off more than he could chew when he claimed to demolish Asjad Iqbal in the final.
Shahram, who predicted a one-sided victory for himself, went down 7-2 in the Jubilee Insurance 3rd Ranking Snooker Championship final. This was Asjad’s second successive title after he landed the 2nd Ranking Championship last month, overpowering Pakistan number one Mohammad Asif in the final.
Asjad, who said he was not distracted by his opponent’s claims, won with frame scores of 75-45, 77-29, 44-60, 61-23, 73-50, 81-83, 66-1, 0-83 and 54-21 including a break of 83 in the game’s penultimate frame.
“He had benefitted from professional coaching but I had self-belief,” an ecstatic Asjad told The Express Tribune. “This could’ve been a 7-0 win but I got a bit relaxed and that gave Shahram the chance to get two frames under his belt.”
Now with four career-titles, Asjad is looking forward to the world championships, terming it a dream that will soon become reality.
“I’ve always wanted to play in it and hopefully I can to represent Pakistan in the mega event. I’ve represented the country in three international events so I have the experience of handling pressure.”
While Asjad pocketed Rs70,000, Shahram earned Rs40,000 as runners-up. Khurram Hussain Agha got Rs5,000 for registering the highest break in the event. The two semi-finalists – Asif and Agha – earned a prize money of Rs15,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2012.
Shahram Changezi bit off more than he could chew when he claimed to demolish Asjad Iqbal in the final.
Shahram, who predicted a one-sided victory for himself, went down 7-2 in the Jubilee Insurance 3rd Ranking Snooker Championship final. This was Asjad’s second successive title after he landed the 2nd Ranking Championship last month, overpowering Pakistan number one Mohammad Asif in the final.
Asjad, who said he was not distracted by his opponent’s claims, won with frame scores of 75-45, 77-29, 44-60, 61-23, 73-50, 81-83, 66-1, 0-83 and 54-21 including a break of 83 in the game’s penultimate frame.
“He had benefitted from professional coaching but I had self-belief,” an ecstatic Asjad told The Express Tribune. “This could’ve been a 7-0 win but I got a bit relaxed and that gave Shahram the chance to get two frames under his belt.”
Now with four career-titles, Asjad is looking forward to the world championships, terming it a dream that will soon become reality.
“I’ve always wanted to play in it and hopefully I can to represent Pakistan in the mega event. I’ve represented the country in three international events so I have the experience of handling pressure.”
While Asjad pocketed Rs70,000, Shahram earned Rs40,000 as runners-up. Khurram Hussain Agha got Rs5,000 for registering the highest break in the event. The two semi-finalists – Asif and Agha – earned a prize money of Rs15,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2012.