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KARACHI: Second seed Mohammad Asif did the country proud yet again when he coasted to an enthralling 8-5 victory over unseeded Jefrey Roda of Philippines in the final to win the title of IBSF World Snooker Championship for second time in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya on Saturday.
Riding on the crest of a wave, the country’s top cueist proved that when there’s will, there’s a way as he romped home 68-35, 88-0, 69-17, 28-73, 5-118, 93-0, 69-1, 72-57, 10-93, 77-4, 21-65, 54-66, 68-51.
It is pertinent to mention that it took a wait of seven years for the Faisalabad-born Asif to regain the glory. His last success came at Bulgaria in 2012.
By doing so, the legendary player become the fifth cueists to win the world snooker title twice since its inception in 1963. The others who have won the honours twice earlier includes Gary Owen (Wales), Ray Edmonds (England), Paul Mifsud (Malta) and Pankaj Advani (India). The latter, however, stood tall among all for winning three world titles.
The 37-year-old Asif, who serves in National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), proved that experience made the difference as his opponent was half of his age.
The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBFS) President Munawwar Hussain Shaikh was present at the final.