Strong start for team event at World Cup snooker

Muscat, Nov 21

The opening day of the team event at World Cup of Snooker Oman 2025 featured 24 matches across six groups, showcasing a mix of tightly contested battles in some groups and dominant performances in others. Day one produced varied results for the participating nations, while the Omani teams faced difficult challenges against strong international opponents.

In Group A, Hong Kong 1 asserted complete dominance with two consecutive wins, first defeating Oman 3 3–0, then beating India 2 by 3–1. France also enjoyed a perfect start, overcoming India 2 by 3–1 before securing a solid 3–0 victory over Oman 3. Both Hong Kong 1 and France ended the day with six points each, while India 2 and Oman 3 remained without points after two rounds.

Group B was the most balanced of the day, with all four teams registering one win and one loss. Poland defeated Bangladesh 3–0 before falling to Iraq 2 by 3–2. Qatar beat Iraq 2 by 3–1, only to lose to Bangladesh 3–2. Bangladesh bounced back from their opening defeat to score an important win against Qatar. As a result, all four teams ended the first day with identical records of one win each, separated only by frame difference.

In Group C, Pakistan and Malaysia delivered perfect starts. Pakistan defeated Oman 2 3–0 before narrowly beating Ukraine 3–2. Malaysia mirrored that performance, edging Ukraine 3–2 and later beating Oman 2 by 3–0. Both Pakistan and Malaysia topped the group with six points, while Ukraine and Oman 2 ended day one without points.

Group D saw Egypt shine with two commanding victories, beating Iraq 1 by 3–0 and then defeating Australia by the same margin, securing six points without losing a single frame. Australia claimed a 3–2 win over Iran before falling to Egypt. Iran suffered two losses — 3–2 against Australia and 3–0 against Egypt — finishing the day without points, while Iraq 1 earned one win after defeating Iran 3–1.

In Group E, Hong Kong 2 delivered one of the strongest performances of the day, securing two clean 3–0 victories over Bahrain and Indonesia. China recovered from an opening 3–1 loss to Indonesia by defeating Bahrain 3–0, leaving China and Indonesia with one win each, while Bahrain ended the day winless.

Iraq 1 earned one win after defeating Iran 3–1.

INDIA 1 CLAIM FULL POINTS

Group F witnessed a strong start from India 1, who defeated Oman 1 3–0 and beat Afghanistan 3–1 to claim six points. Afghanistan produced an impressive 3–1 win over the UAE, while the UAE answered back with a 3–0 victory over Oman 1. India topped the group with full points, while both the UAE and Afghanistan finished with one win each and Oman remained without points.

Day one also featured standout individual moments. Malaysian star and 2022 World Champion Lim Kok Leong delivered one of the day’s biggest highlights by scoring a brilliant 139 break, the highest in the team event so far. His century came at a critical moment after Malaysia trailed 0–2, sparking a comeback through a doubles win before Kok Leong’s explosive break turned the match around and pushed Malaysia forward with strong momentum.

As for the Omani teams, all three squads ended the first day without points after suffering defeats in both of their opening matches. Despite the tough start, the players expressed strong determination to bounce back on day two, benefitting from high-level exposure against elite Asian and European teams, supported by an enthusiastic home crowd at Active Oman Hall, which hosts the global event until November 23.