Emirati duo Mohamed Shehab and Mohammed Al Joaker were among several seeded players to crash out of the seven-nation Snooker Championship in Karachi.
Shehab, seeded fourth in the competition, suffered defeat at the hands of Mohammad Asif whose suprise win earned the Pakistan national champion a spot in the quarter-finals.
Al Joaker, the No 7 seed, made a fine start with 4-2 victory over India's Yasin Merchant, a two-time Asian champion and the third seed, earning him a tie for the second spot.
However, the upshot was not enough to carry him through to the next as he lost out on the frame difference to unseeded Egyptian, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed.
Asif and Shehab provided the fireworks in the last session of the first-round action before the Pakistani won 4-3 with with scores of 0-130, 68-32, 39-84, 61-37, 76-50, 7-99, 67-29.
Shehab made a brilliant start to his crunch match with a riveting break of 129 in the opening frame. But with a little bit of good fortune, Asif won the deciding seventh frame. The top-ranked UAE cueist also saw his campaign ended by the frame difference average following a tie for the second place with Pakistan's Abdul Sattar.
Among those who advanced to the quarter-finals were the top seeded Hossein Vafaei Ayouri of Iran, second seed Thepchaiya Un-nooh of Thailand, unseeded Mohammad Sajjad of Pakistan and fifth seed Noppon Saengkham of Thailand.
Habib Subah of Bahrain and Yaser Ahmed Mohammed Elsherbiny of Egypt were among some of the top seeds to make an early exit from the competition.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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