World Snooker Championship Archives

Pakistan’s Asif advances to World Snooker Championship knockouts

DOHA: Pakistan’s seasoned cueist and three-time world champion Muhammad Asif defeated China’s Pan Yaming to qualify for the knockouts of the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2025.

Pakistan cueist continued to deliver impressive performances on day three of the championship, with Asjad Iqbal and Shahid Aftab also securing victories in their matches. However, Muhammad Hasnain suffered defeat and fell short in his crucial game.

According to Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) Secretary General Naveed Kapadia, Muhammad Asif reached the knockout stage after defeating China’s Pan Yiming 4–3 in a thrilling second-round contest.

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The frame scores were 18–68, 35–74, 37–90, 76–8, 78–58, 91–26, and 28–55 in Asif’s favour.

Earlier, Asjad Iqbal edged past Iran’s Hamid Zareh Doost 4–3 in another nail-biting encounter, with frame scores of 24–61, 17–60, 53–52, 69–10, 80–11, 0–79, and 7–75.

During the match, Asjad also compiled an impressive break of 67. Meanwhile, Shahid Aftab defeated Isle of Man’s (UK) Darryl Hill 4–1, recording frame scores of 56–3, 14–66, 6–80, 4–81, and 52–61, and made a fine break of 68.

However, Muhammad Hasnain lost his match 4–3 to UAE’s Muhammad Shehab, with frame scores of 13–72, 19–73, 67–29, 80–6, 54–19, 19–53, and 62–68.

For context, the tournament, which is underway from November 3 to 13, is currently played in two stages.

According to the rules mentioned on the IBSF official site, two qualifying events will be held, each allowing a maximum of 64 players. The events will be conducted on a knock-out basis, with matches to be played over two days each, in a best-of-7 frames format.

The second stage involves 48 players, of which 32 players are pre-qualified. The Last-16 players in Stage 2 will automatically qualify for Stage 2 of the following year’s championship.

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Pakistan’s Shahid Aftab defeats India’s Paras Gupta in World Snooker Championship

DOHA: Pakistan cueist Shahid Aftab made a winning start to his IBSF World Snooker Championship 2025 campaign, defeating India’s Paras Gupta 4-2 in the Round of 16 here on Wednesday.

Aftab displayed fine form throughout the contest, registering a composed performance under pressure.

He took the opening frame 73-25 before Gupta levelled with a strong response in the second.

The Pakistani cueist regained control in the third frame, producing a 72-point break to reclaim the lead.

Despite Gupta’s fightback to make it 2-2, Aftab sealed the next two frames decisively, including a 62 break in the fifth, to complete a 4-2 victory with scores of 73-25, 27-94, 77(72)-36, 58-76, 122(62)-6, 60-49.

However, it was a mixed day for Pakistan overall as veteran cueist Muhammad Sajjad suffered a 4-2 defeat against Hong Kong’s Fung Kwok Wai in a tightly contested match.

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Sajjad’s loss saw him move into Stage 1 (2nd Event) of the championship.

Following his Round of 16 triumph, Aftab advanced to the next stage of the tournament, keeping Pakistan’s hopes alive at the global event.

Pakistan’s five-member contingent for the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2025 was confirmed by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) on October 27.

The team includes three-time World Champion Muhammad Asif, Asjad Iqbal, Shahid Aftab, Muhammad Sajjad, and young prodigy Muhammad Hasnain Akhtar.

Asif, who entered the tournament as defending champion, earned a direct berth in the last 48, while Asjad Iqbal qualified on the basis of his performance in last year’s knockout stage.

Meanwhile, Hasnain Akhtar received automatic qualification as the reigning World U-17 Champion.

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Mohsin Naqvi congratulates Hasnain Akhtar on winning World U-17 Snooker Championship

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi congratulated Hasnain Akhtar on emerging victorious in the IBSF World U-17 Snooker Championship

Mohsin Naqvi lauded Akhtar’s outstanding victory in the summit clash.

“Hasnain Akhtar showcased his exceptional talent in the final and brought great pride to the nation,” said Mohsin Naqvi.

By winning the championship, Hasnain has raised the green and white flag high on the international stage,” he added.

Mohsin Naqvi further stated that Akhtar’s success is a clear testament to the hard work and immense talent of Pakistani youth.

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“Youth like Hasnain Akhtar, who are determined and committed, are our true assets,” he said.

Mohsin Naqvi also prayed for the young cueist’s continued success in the future.

For the unversed, Pakistan’s 16-year-old cueist defeated Wales’ Riley Powell in the final of the World U-17 Snooker Championship in Bahrain on Friday.

The 16-year-old secured a 4-0 victory against his rival. Hasnain Akhtar showcased his dominance throughout the final, recording a comprehensive win with the frame scores of 86-7, 73-35, 50-32, and 98-4.

With this victory, Hasnain also etched his name into Pakistan’s history books, becoming the only player from the country to win the IBSF World Championship in the U-17 category.

A day earlier, Hasnain booked the spot in the final with a comprehensive victory over Poland’s Oliwier Nizialek. He also finished the group stage unbeaten with victories against Qatar’s Abdulla Al Musleh and UAE’s Mohammad Alrumaithi.

READ: Pakistan’s Hasnain Akhtar clinches U-17 World Snooker Championship title

Kyren Wilson survives Zak Jones fightback to win World Snooker Championship

Kyren Wilson held his nerve on Monday as he overcame an impressive fightback from qualifier Zak Jones to win the World Snooker Championship title for the first time.

A clearly emotional Wilson eventually triumphed 18-14 in the final at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre in northern England but only after Jones, who lost the first seven frames of the best of 35 contest, had won three frames in a row from 17-11 down to give himself hope of a remarkable rally.

But in the end, the 12th-ranked Englishman regained his composure sufficiently to see off his Welsh opponent.

“Can you imagine how embarrassing it would have been if I’d lost and Bailey is dressed like that?” Wilson, pointing to his son, dressed in classic waistcoat and bow tie snooker attire, told the BBC.

The 32-year-old added: “I’d like to say sorry to Jak for that outburst (shouting ‘come on’ on match ball) but it does just mean so much to all of us.

“My mum and dad have remortgaged and sacrificed their whole lives to get me here. My brother and wife too. The list goes on and on, it’s a massive team effort.”

Kyren Wilson paid tribute to the resilient Jones by saying: “He was so tough and I don’t know if there’s many people left in Wales the amount that were cheering for him!

“Me and Jak have come through the junior ranks together. This is Jak’s first final, let alone a World final, and he’s conducted himself in an amazing fashion and I’m sure he’ll be back.”

A gracious Jones said: “I congratulate Kyren and family. They deserve it so much. If anyone deserves it, he does.”

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Zak Jones was only the ninth qualifier in 47 years at the Crucible to reach the final and he came within sight of emulating Terry Griffiths, his fellow Welshman, in 1979 and Shaun Murphy in 2005 in winning the title.

“It’s been an unbelievable tournament for me. About a month ago I was twitching in my first qualifying match. It’s been a long month but I’m happy with it.”

During his stirring recovery in Monday’s concluding evening session, Jones even threatened a maximum 147 break after potting the first 12 reds and blacks.

Jones had started Monday’s morning session five frames down at 11-6 behind but twice reduced Wilson’s lead to three frames.

Kyren Wilson, however, restored his advantage to lead Zak Jones 15-10 heading into the evening’s play.

Jones, who had defeated seeds Zhang Anda and Judd Trump en route to the final, hit back with his first century of the final to cut Wilson’s lead to 16-11.

The 28th frame saw Jones clear to the colours to force a re-spotted black only for Wilson to move within a frame of victory thanks to a stunning pot off three cushions.

Jones ensured there would be a mid-session interval with a break of 67 as he started to claw his way back after looking like he might become only the third player, after John Parrott in 1989 and Jimmy White in 1993, to lose the World Snooker Championship final with a session to spare.

But in the end, he had left himself with just too much to do as Kyren Wilson regained his composure.

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Mark Selby considers retirement after ‘pathetic’ world championship exit

Four-time snooker world champion Mark Selby is considering retirement after crashing out at the first round of the world championship 10-6 to qualifier Joe O’Connor on Monday.

Defeat capped a dismal season for Selby, who has slipped to fifth in the world rankings.

“I will take a long time to think about it over the summer,” said the 40-year-old.

“Away from snooker I’m happy, then when I come to snooker it’s the opposite. It was pathetic from start to finish.”

O’Connor, who is the only debutant in the field at The Crucible amassed a 7-2 lead during the first session on Sunday and held on for the biggest win of his career despite a rally from one of his snooker heroes.

“I’ll sit down with (my wife) Vicky and see what the options are,” added Selby.

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“Obviously it will be a big decision but if I do carry on playing I need help, probably on the mental side of it a little bit more just to go out there and enjoy the game.

“That’s all I want to do, go out there and enjoy it and for me, it’s always sort of life or death; I’ve always been that kind of character, putting too much pressure on myself and trying too hard.”

Notably, Mark Selby, who became the first player to hit a maximum break in the World Snooker Championship final last year, ended up on the losing side as he fell 18-15 against Luca Brecel.

It is worth mentioning here that the World Snooker Championship 2024 commenced on April 20 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and will conclude on May 6.

Brecel, who won his first world championship last year, will be looking to defend his title while star player Ronnie O’Sullivan is searching for a record-shattering eighth title.

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Selby hits first 147 in a world snooker final as he closes on Brecel

LONDON: Mark Selby became the first player to compile a maximum 147 break in a snooker World Championship final as he reduced Luca Brecel’s lead to just one frame on Sunday’s opening day of the showpiece match.

Selby, already a four-time world champion, seized a chance to make history when his Belgian opponent left a red dangling over the corner pocket in the 16th frame at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

The 39-year-old Selby — who had to wait until nearly 1:00 am local time Sunday to complete his semi-final win over Mark Allen — took the next as well to head into Monday’s final day just 9-8 down in a best of 35 contest.

Selby won the session 6-3 after Brecel had established a 6-2 lead in Sunday’s opening exchanges.

The Englishman’s 147 came on the 40th anniversary of Cliff Thorburn’s landmark first maximum in any Crucible encounter, against Wales’ Terry Griffiths.

Selby’s break was the 14th maximum break in Crucible history and the second of this year’s Championship after Kyren Wilson’s first-round 147 against Ryan Day.

Brecel, who prior to this year’s tournament had never won a match at the World Championship, had been the comeback king on his way to the final.

He won seven straight frames to beat seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the last eight, with the 28-year-old then reeling off 11 in a row from 14-5 down to beat China’s Si Jiahui 17-15 in the semi-finals.

Brecel continued his fine form on Sunday as he won the first three frames while making breaks of 77 and 90.

But the gap between sessions appeared to do Selby good as the renowned match-player started the evening with a superb total clearance of 134.

Brecel responded with a sparkling 99 featuring several trick shots on the colours.

But he missed a relatively easy red in the next, with Selby’s ensuing break of 96 reducing the deficit to 7-4.

Brecel then squandered a 42-point lead with another miss in the subsequent frame but recovered well with breaks of 72 and 67 following the mid-session interval to go 9-5 up.

Selby, however, punished a careless Brecel split on the pack with a break of 61 before making light of his 147 attempt after prizing the final awkward red off the side cushion.

Referee Brendan Moore, presiding over his third and last world final before retirement, was the first to congratulate Selby, who was also embraced by a smiling Brecel.

The debutant finalist looked as if he would extend his overnight lead when he went 48 points clear in Sunday’s final frame only for Selby to fight back in a match already shaping up as a classic encounter.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan stunned out of World Snooker Championship

SHEFFIELD: Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan succumbed to an astounding collapse as he was knocked out of the ongoing World Snooker Championship 2023 after a shocking 10-13 defeat at the hands of Luca Brecel.

Reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan resumed his quarter-final clash with Luca Brecel with a solid 10-6 advantage only to lose seven consecutive frames from 10th-ranked Belgium’s cueist, who recorded a 13-10 victory at the Crucible.

Briefly after heading into the final session, O’Sullivan made a costly error as he managed to miss a black off its place; allowing Brecel to benefit. In the following frame, The Rocket made another mistake that was met with a break of 64.

Brecel then eventually managed to cut O’Sullivan’s lead to 10-9 before soon catching up with the seasoned cueist with a break of 72.

After drawing level with O’Sullivan after the 20th frame, there was no stopping Brecel as he continued his domination with breaks of 66, 78 and 63 to claim a remarkable victory.

Brecel completely outclassed O’Sullivan in the finale as the latter failed to win a single frame in the session for the first time after his 17-11 loss to Graeme Dott in the 2006 semi-final.

In another enthralling quarter-final, Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen made it to the World Snooker Championship semi-finals for just the second time in his decorated career with a hard-fought 13-10 victory over Jak Jones.

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Judd Trump dumped out of World Snooker Championship

LONDON: Former winner Judd Trump became the biggest first-round casualty at this year’s World Snooker Championship on Wednesday, slipping to a 10-6 defeat against qualifier Anthony McGill.

McGill, ranked 21 in the world, reached the semi-finals in Sheffield in 2020 and has beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy at the Crucible.

Trump, the 2019 champion and last year’s losing finalist, suffered his first defeat in the opening round since he lost to Rory McLeod in 2017.

The fifth seed trailed 6-3 going into the concluding session but soon reduced that deficit to 6-5, with breaks of 68 and 58.

In frame 12 he led 40-0 when he ran out of position, and Scotland’s McGill made him pay.

The Englishman hit back to take the 13th to make it 7-6 at the interval, only for his opponent to dominate the next two frames.

McGill, 32, made 45 in frame 16 before missing the black, but Trump potted just one red then missed the black himself, and McGill added 30 for victory.

“I didn’t feel amazing but I played well enough to capitalise,” said McGill. “It doesn’t matter how bad Judd plays, his standard is such that he can’t play that badly, but he wasn’t at his best.”

Trump said he had been “very rusty” this season.

“I just missed too many easy balls,” said the 33-year-old. “I had loads of chances in today’s session but I couldn’t take them, and you can’t expect to play like that and win in the World Championship.”

Earlier, 2020 runner-up Kyren Wilson produced the first maximum 147 break of this year’s tournament in his opening-round match against Ryan Day.

It was the 13th maximum in Crucible history.

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UK climate activists arrested after disrupting World Snooker Championship

SHEFFIELD: Climate activists from the ‘Just Stop Oil’ group were arrested after disrupting the World Snooker Championship on Monday, with one throwing orange powder on the table at the Crucible Theatre.

Joe Perry’s first-round match against Robert Milkins had to be stopped when a man jumped onto the table and emptied a bag of orange powder across the green baize.

Stunned fans watched on as half of the table and many of the balls were covered in the cloud of powder, with the man kneeling on the baize for several seconds before a security guard dragged him away.

The man was wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘Just Stop Oil’ on the back.

On the other table at the Sheffield arena, the match between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi was interrupted when a woman, also wearing a ‘Just Stop Oil’ t-shirt, tried to get on the baize at the same time as the male protestor.

She was dragged off by referee Olivier Marteel before any powder was thrown.

“Two people were detained after protesters gained entry to The Crucible earlier this evening,” a South Yorkshire Police statement said.

“A 30-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Both are in police custody.”

In a press release, Just Stop Oil said two supporters had staged the stunt to highlight the group’s demand that the government stop all new UK fossil fuel projects.

It named those responsible as Margaret Reid, a 52-year-old former museum professional from northwest England, and Eddie Whittingham, 30, a student at Exeter university.

“I did not take this action lightly, but I cannot remain a passive spectator while our government knowingly pushes us down a path to destruction,” Reid said in comments provided in the press release.

“I can no longer justify watching from the sidelines.”

– ‘It is scary’ –

Play was immediately suspended as vacuum cleaners were brought into the arena, with master of ceremonies Rob Walker among those helping to sweep up the mess.

Allen and Fan were given a standing ovation on their return to the arena later on Monday after the clean-up operation.

Former world champion Stephen Hendry, working as a commentator for the BBC, said: “I have never seen that before at a snooker event. It’s a first.

“It is scary. Wow! You just hope the cloth can be recovered from that. It caught us all by surprise and then this happens.”

Just Stop Oil last year staged a flurry of eye-catching direct-action protests: blocking highways and throwing tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting.

Other collectives, including “Extinction Rebellion” and “Insulate Britain” have held similar disruptive demonstrations.

The protest came just two days after Saturday’s Grand National was delayed by almost 15 minutes when animal-rights protesters attempted to enter the racecourse and tie themselves to fences and railings along the route.

It is not the first time play at the Crucible has been subject to unlikely interventions.

In 2008, a streaker danced around the table prior to the start of the last session of the final between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter.

Last year, a pigeon briefly interrupted play midway through the second-round match between Mark Selby and Yan Bingtao.

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Trump seals a thriller to set World Snooker Championship final with Ronnie

SHEFFIELD: The 2019 world champion Judd Trump secured a thrilling 17-16 victory over the three-time champion Mark Williams and stormed into the final of the ongoing World Snooker Championship, here on Saturday.

In a thrilling semi-final of the championship, the charismatic Trump outpowered the experienced Williams by the scores of 17-16 in the Best of 33.

The see-saw battle between the two cueists went right down to the wire, as Trump won the decider frame to complete a close victory over Williams.

The two potters remained involved in a tug of war throughout the match with Trump pulling ahead and Williams level or vice-versa.

In the last two frames, Williams was just one shy away from the victory but Trump secured the last two hard-fought frames to book his spot in the final.

Trump scored five centuries, including eight fifty-plus breaks. Williams, however, scored the best break (137) of the match in the 18th frame.

The 32-years-old English cueist Trump will be up against his countryman Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the championship.

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