Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Rabi-ul-Sani 29, 1429    

Sajjad beat Suwannawat, Khurram notches 2nd win in Asian Snooker

Dubai—Pakistan’s new entrant Muhammad Sajjad Rana pulled off a major shock on Sunday night when he clawed his way back from the brink of defeat to shock fourth seed Passakorn Suwannawat of Thailand 4-3 in the 24th Asian Snooker Championship here Monday.

Youthful Sajjad, who went in despair after losing his second round match against UAE number seven Eissa Al Syed, showed nerves of steal to overpower plump Suwannwat, a runner-up of last year’s world championship in Jordan.

Sajjad made an incredible recovery from 0-2 down and 1-3 deficit to register a fantastic win.

24 year old from Sargodha Sajjad was at the brink of ouster from the championship after a break of 51 by Suwannwat in the final frames. But showing fighting qualities and keeping his nerves in control, Sajjad clinched the decider 67-59 to the delight of his coach Bilal Mughal.

“I was very angry and disappointed with his loss against UAE. But this win over Suwannawat he has revived his hopes in this event,” Bilal commented.

With his second defeat Suwannwat in group “D” is facing extinction from the championship.

Second seed Khurram Agha after suffering a surprise defeat against Muhammad Nadir Sultani of Afghanistan, bounced back in the event on Monday with a commanding 4-1 victory over Muhammad Al Tarkait of Kuwait. Demonstrating a fine cue control and strong potting, Khurram compiled the breaks of 63 in the first and 64 in the final frame to gain some confidence.—APP