Iqbal, Sajjad off to mixed start

Pakistan number one Asjad Iqbal puts up a disappointing show as he goes down 4-1 to home cueist Abdul Sattar.

KARACHI: Pakistan number one Asjad Iqbal put up a disappointing show on the opening day of the Snooker Cup 2010 at the Karachi Club as he went down 4-1 to home cueist Abdul Sattar. The national championship, which acts as an incentive for cueists to improve their rank before the top three are selected for the World Amateur Championship in December, is being played between 16 top players of the country.

Iqbal, who won his first match of the day against Rambail Gul in straight frames 4-0, lost his concentration in the second match and was comfortably beaten by Sattar.

Sattar won the first two frames 66-31, 65-21 before Iqbal hit back with to take the third 66-41. However, Sattar, backed by the local crowd, took the next two high-scoring frames 90-75, 63-42 to seal the win.

Meanwhile, Pakistan number two Mohammad Sajjad also went through the same ordeal. After winning his first match of the day against Nouman Awan 4-1, the Asian number two went down to Shahram Changez in a tough 4-3 encounter.

Sajjad began with confidence, winning the first frame 70-10 before winning a nail-biter 72-62 that went down to the final black. However, Changez fought back as he took the next two frames 67-44, 77-28. A tense high-scoring frame saw Changez prevail 109-104 before he won the next 65-39. A break of 60 in the decider was enough for Changez as he won against the defending champion.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2010.