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MANAMA: Pakistan’s young cueist Hasnain Akhtar secured a berth in the final of the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2025 on Thursday.
The unbeaten Hasnain reached the final of the tournament in dominant fashion with a comprehensive victory over Poland’s Oliwier Nizialek in the semi-final here at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain.
The 16-year-old started the proceedings dominantly by sealing three consecutive frames.
Despite Oliwier Nizialek bouncing back, dominant Akhtar maintained his perfect record with a 4-0 victory, with the final scores of 76-1, 69-8, 88-0, and 62-37.
Hasnain, who won the Asian U-21 title in Riyadh in 2024, will face Wales’ Riley Powell in the final.
Earlier, the teenager defeated Poland’s Krzysztof Czapnik 3-1 in the quarter-final after registering a straight-frame win over Oman’s Mutasim Al Saadi in the previous round.
After dropping the opening frame against the Polish cueist, Hasnain bounced back with confidence, firing a 46-point break in the second frame and a match-high 60-point contribution in the third to take control of the contest.
For context, Hasnain Akhtar reached the pre-quarters of the tournament with a convincing 3-0 win against Witold Bystrzycki of Poland. The 16-year-old cueist registered dominant victory with frame scores of 79(63)-1, 81(48)-17, and 59(34)-53.
The 16-year-old finished the group stage unbeaten with victories against Qatar’s Abdulla Al Musleh and UAE’s Mohammad Alrumaithi.
He dominated Qatar’s Abdulla Al Musleh 3-0, demonstrating promising breaks of 35 [72(35)-2], 40 [65(40)-9], and 31 [81(31)-14].
Following the victory, Hasnain Akhtar also outplayed Mohammad Alrumaithi, sealing a 3-0 win to stay perfect in the tournament. In the opening set of the match, he registered a 61-point break to win by 98-5.
In the second frame, he clinched the frame with 74-6, courtesy of a 65-point break, to move one point away from the victory.
The third frame saw a similar result as Hasnain Akhtar registered another outstanding break to seal an emphatic victory over his rival.
The Under-17 IBSF World Snooker event runs till July 24, featuring 32 players from 15 nations divided across eight groups. The top two cueists from each group will advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament.
READ: Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif, Hasnain Akhtar storm into World Snooker semi-finals
