Muscat, Jan 16
The Muscat Nights International Billiards and Snooker Championship recorded high technical standards and exciting, closely contested matches as the group stage concluded and the qualifiers for the Round of 32 were confirmed at the Arena Active Oman Hall of the Oman Automobile Association on Thursday.
The final group standings reflected strong competition and closely matched levels, with the top two players from each group advancing to the knockout rounds. In Group A, Pakistan’s Nadeem Gul topped the standings with a perfect record of three points after defeating Oman's Hamoud al Harthy 3–0 in his final match, while Al Harthy finished second with two points. In Group B, Bahrain’s Habib Sabah continued his strong form, finishing first with three points following a 3–0 win over Nasser al Zedjali, as Pakistan’s Haroon Ibrahim claimed second place with two points after defeating Hussain al Lawati 3–1.
Group C saw Iraq’s Ali Hussain take first place with three points, followed by Pakistan’s Othman Ahmed in second with two points after his 3–0 victory over Al Yaman al Balushi. In Group D, Pakistan’s Qadeer Abbas topped the group with three points after defeating Mohammed Saleh 3–0, while Saleh advanced in second place with two points.
In Group E, Oman's Hamza al Awidi claimed top spot with two points after an exciting 3–2 win over Ehsan, while Ehsan qualified in second place on frame difference. Group F was led by Palestine’s Rafi with two points after his 3–1 victory over Waqar Ahmed, who also advanced in second place despite the loss.
Iran’s Milad Kashani maintained full control of Group G, finishing first with three points after a 3–0 win over Abdulaziz al Kathiri, while Mohammed Elhami secured second place with two points following a 3–0 victory over Mohammed bin Qasim al Balushi. In Group H, Afghanistan’s Ahmed Noman topped the group with three points after defeating Umair Umair 3–1, as Pakistan’s Shahzad Ghani advanced in second place with two points.
In Group I, Pakistan’s Suhaib Abed finished first with three points after beating Al Muhand al Nahdi 3–0, while Abdulaziz al Sinani qualified second with two points. Group J saw Amir Hossein Bagheri Fard take top spot with three points after a 3–0 win over Qais al Hashami, with Karar Najim finishing second with two points.
In Group K, Pakistan’s Mohammed Noman topped the group with three points following a 3–0 victory over Ahmed Bashir, while Bashir qualified second with two points. Oman's Sami al Hamurashdi led Group L with three points after defeating Said al Siyabi 3–0, as Haitham al Mahri finished second with two points.
Group M ended with a tie at the top, as Dr Emran and Murtadha al Suri both finished with 2.5 points. In Group N, Oman's Omar al Busaidy topped the group with three points after defeating Mohammed al Zubaidi 3–0, while Taha Bashir qualified second with two points. Group O was led by Iran’s Amir Suhail with three points, followed by Shafiq Aminzadeh in second with two points. Group P concluded the group-stage action with Iran’s Siavash Mozayani topping the standings with three points, while Emad Adnan advanced in second place after a thrilling 3–2 win over Yousuf al Foori.
Oman's Mohammed al Owaidi affirmed that the Muscat Nights Championship represents an important opportunity for Omani players to gain international exposure and showcase their abilities. He noted that qualification for the knockout stages was the result of serious preparation and intensive training, especially with the participation of players from more than 18 countries. He added that hosting the championship on home soil provides players with extra motivation to deliver their best performances.
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