Pakistani world amateur snooker champion Muhammad Asif produced a flawless performance to win the title at the 3rd SAARC Snooker Championship in Colombo on Friday.
He defeated Sri Lanka’s Thaha Ersath in the final with a crushing 5-0 win, without losing a single frame throughout the match.
The final was held at the Moors Snooker Club in Colombo, where Asif demonstrated his exceptional skills and cue control.
He dominated throughout the final to win it by scores of 99-3, 73-46, 85-38, 109-6, 74-0.
Asif recorded three breaks of 50 or more in the best-of-9 final, including a top break of 67 in the opening and closing frames, clinching his overall victory.
The SAARC Snooker Championship title is Asif’s eighth career title, highlighting his status as one of the most successful amateur players in the region.
“Winning this title is a moment of great pride for me and Pakistan,” Asif said after the match.
The champion also received congratulations from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif as they praised Asif in separate messages for showing his best game in the entire tournament especially the final.
“Mohammed Asif has brought laurels to Pakistan in the game of snooker. I pray for Mohammad Asif’s success in the future as well,” President Zardari said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also congratulated player Asif on winning the third SAARC snooker championship.
The Prime Minister said: “Mohammed Asif won the important snooker tournament and put the country’s name in the limelight of the whole world. The entire nation is proud of you.”
He also expressed his best wishes for Asif’s future.
Asif’s victory in Colombo also made him the second Pakistani to win the SAARC Snooker Championship.
The first edition of the event, held in 2019, was won by Pakistani Asjad Iqbal.
This latest victory adds another feather to the cap of the 42-year-old from Faisalabad, who has already cemented his legacy in amateur snooker.
Asif is a three-time world champion, having won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2012, 2019, and again in 2024.
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