Asif, Majid lose in 6-Red World openers

Pakistan duo faces uphill task after opening day defeats.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s duo of IBSF World Champion Mohammad Asif and Asian U21 runner-up Mohammad Majid Ali got off to losing starts yesterday in their respective group matches of the 6-Red World Championship being played in Bangkok, Thailand.

Asif was involved in a thrilling nine-setter against local boy Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm, who won the match 5-4.

Intially, Ratchapol raced to a 2-0 lead but Asif, who recently became the Asian 6-Red Champion, showed his class by winning the next three frames to go 3-2 up. At one stage, the match came down to the wire with both players level on 4-4, however Ratchapol held his nerves to win by game scores of 0-50, 13-43, 59-5, 29-18, 47-0, 10-37, 33-25, 21-32 and 18-31.

Asif is placed in Group H and will now have to play well against the likes of Ricky Walden, Barry Hawkins, legendary Steve Davis and Afghanistan’s Saleh Mohammad to make sure that he qualifies from the group stages into the last-32.

The 31-year-old had recently stated that he will turn pro soon to play in the Professional Circuit from next year, as he recieved a much-needed sponsorship from a private company Omar Associates.

Meanwhile, young Majid went down to Malta’s Alex Borg 5-3 in a match which saw big breaks being hit by both cueists. Majid, who has been touted as the next big star from Pakistan alongside Asjad Iqbal and Humza Akbar, tried his best to match his opponent, but Borg was better on the day and registered the win. Majid will next face Scotland’s Stephen Maguire.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2013.

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