March 11, 2022
KARACHI: Pakistan’s 16-year-old Ahsan Ramzan made the country proud on Friday by winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship title.
Ramzan — who was seeded 27th in the tournament — defeated the more experienced and top-seeded Amir Sarkosh of Iran 6-5 in a nerve-testing final played in Doha.
Ramzan was once 3-5 down and the Iranian needed only one frame to clinch the title but the Pakistani cueist held his nerve, displayed amazing skills, and great control to resist his opponent and won three consecutive frames to earn the country's fourth IBSF World Snooker title.
He is also the country’s youngest to win this trophy after Mohammad Asif, who won it twice, while veteran Mohammad Yousuf won it in 1994.
Ramzan started the final confidently by taking the first two frames 63-60 and 91-0 but then Sarkosh won four consecutive matches in an attempt to put pressure on Pakistani youngster.
But the 2-4 deficit couldn’t put much pressure on him and Ramzan made cut his deficit by winning the seventh frame, but he could pocket only one red in the eighth frame to give Sarkosh a lead of 5-3.
As Sarkosh was just one frame away from winning the title for Iran, Ramzan showed his class. In the ninth frame, the Pakistani player did not allow his opponent to pocket any ball, he also made him helpless in the 10th frame to level it 5-all.
In the final frame, the teenager from Pakistan showed his skills. Ramzan didn’t bow to the pressure of the final frame of the final match, played each ball on merit and with safety in his mind to ensure that his opponent doesn’t get any room to come back.
Ramzan won the final in over five hours and 20 minutes with scores of 63-60, 91-0(70), 56-34, 01-102(102), 28-68, 27-66, 86-18, 1-70, 69-0, 63-17 and 67-25.
This is Pakistan’s fourth IBSF World Snooker title.