Dominant Awais Munir beats Pushpender Singh to stay unbeaten

COLOMBO: Defending champion Awais Munir continued his dominant run in the ongoing Asian Six-Red Snooker Championship in Sri Lanka, registering his second win by defeating Indian cueist Pushpender Singh 4-2.

With this victory, Munir has now won all three of his group-stage matches.

The frame scores in his latest triumph over Singh were: 1-51, 47-0, 66-0, 10-46, 34-21, and 33-21.

Munir began his campaign on Sunday with two impressive wins, including a maximum break of 75.

In his Group A opener, he overcame Macau’s Chi Kin Chan 4-2, sealing the final frame with a 52-point break. The scores were: 1-53, 41-11, 38-6, 9-38, 49-0, and 57-0.

He followed it up with a dominant 4-0 win over Bangladesh’s Ziaur Rahman Azad, recording a 75-point break—the highest possible in the six-red format. The frame scores were: 65-0, 47-17, 59-8, and 75-0.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s cueists Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Sajjad also continued their impressive runs in the tournament, securing their spots in the pre-quarterfinals.

IBSF World Champion Asif comfortably defeated Oman’s Abdullah Al Raisi 4-0, showcasing his experience and skill on the table.

Sajjad overcame Sri Lanka’s Mohammad Musharraf without dropping a single frame, sealing another dominant win.

By winning two matches each in their respective groups, Asif and Sajjad have ensured qualification for the pre-quarterfinal stage.

It is pertinent to mention that Munir entered the tournament on the back of his recent title win at the Asian Six-Red Snooker Championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 2, 2024.

He defeated Hong Kong’s Nansen Wan 6-3 in the final, breaking a 2-2 deadlock with three straight frame wins to take a commanding lead.

Despite a brief fightback by Wan in the eighth frame, Munir sealed the victory in the ninth, showcasing his superior potting and composure. The final frame scores were: 0-65, 35-26, 27-36, 38-20, 0-65, 13-46, 8-60, 34-0, and 27-40.