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Amateur Snooker - 2017 ACBS Asian 6 Reds Snooker Championship

​29th June -2nd July 2017 / Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

STRONG FINISH FOR SAJJAD SECURES TITLE

Pakistan's Muhammad Sajjad is the 2017 Asian 6 Reds Snooker Champion after thumping Hong Kong's Lee Chun Wai 7-0 in the final earlier today.

The 6th edition of this shortened format was being held in Kyrgyzstan for the first time, yet more proof of snooker's growing participation and demand. 11 different nations from across the continent sent representation to Bishkek.

Sajjad's campaign nearly ended in the qualifying groups. Placed in a Round Robin of 5 players where the top 2 progressed to the Knock-Outs, he won 2 of his 4 matches. Tied with two other players, he only made it through in second place by virtue of a better frame difference. He was seeded 16th out of 16th for the next stages.

Come the KOs, he bizarrely faced fellow countrymen in three consecutive matches to make the final. Number 1 seed Asjad Iqbal was beaten 5-2 in the Last 16, he came back from 3-0 down to eliminate Babar Masih 6-4 in the Quarters and then Mohammad Bilal 6-3 in the Semis.

Number 2 Seed Chun ​Wai was undefeated throughout the tournament up until the final, but was left frameless in a very surprising outcome.

​31 year old Sajjad was the 2014 IBSF World Amateur Championship Runner-Up when he lost out to Yan Bingtao in a deciding frame. I believe winning this title may have qualified him for the main tour World 6 Reds Championship in a couple of months time - a competition he has played at before.

​Defending champion Pankaj Advani was eliminated in the Quarter-Finals by Bilal, whilst other fairly recent top tier players Ahmed Saif (Qatar) and Issara Kachaiwong (Thailand) lost in the Last 16 and Last 8 respectively.

Action will continue at the venue with the start of the Asian Team Championship consisting of 14 teams.

For more information, and the full results, please visit the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports website here.

Written and published by Michael Day on the 2nd July 2017

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