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Brijesh Damani wins silver at IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship
Manan Chandra and Vijay Nichani win a bronze medal apiece.
Vijay Nichani(left), Brijesh Damani(center) and Manan Chandra bags 3 medals at IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship. (Photo credit: BSFI)
India’s Brijesh Damani clinched the silver medal at the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship 2025, after going down in a gripping 3-4 final to Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif at the Crowne Plaza in Manama.
In a match full of momentum shifts, Damani raced to a 3-0 lead but couldn't hold off a resurgent Asif, who claimed his sixth world title in dramatic fashion.
The final was a best-of-seven frame contest that saw Damani in full control early on. But Asif, a five-time world champion before this match, staged a remarkable comeback.
He won three straight frames to level the score at 3-3, taking full advantage after Damani missed a key red ball in the final frame.
Asif capitalised with a pressure-filled 40-point break to complete a sensational turnaround. The frame scores were: 98(87)-37, 75-55, 0-80(51), 40-52, 41-64, 91-29, 78(40)-9.
With this win, Muhammad Asif added a sixth world title to his illustrious career now including three individual IBSF crowns and two team championships.
India’s performance in the Masters category remained strong, with two more medals coming from the semifinals.
Manan Chandra and Vijay Nichani both earned bronze medals after losing their respective semifinal encounters.
Nichani had an impressive run and even led Damani 2-1 in their all-Indian semifinal before the latter fought back to win 4-2. Chandra, on the other hand, started strong against Asif in the second semifinal, but the Pakistani star rallied to secure a 4-2 win.
Meanwhile, India’s Kamal Chawla, who was defending his 6-red snooker title, began his campaign in the new format with a solid 4-2 win over Bahrain’s Jaafar Alraees in a Group ‘A’ match.
Chawla had earlier exited the Masters in the pre-quarterfinals after a defeat to Manan Chandra, but looked sharper in the shorter format.
Indian snooker legend Pankaj Advani, a three-time world champion in 6-Red Snooker, has also joined the ongoing 6-red World Championship. Along with Damani and Aditya Mehta, Advani received a wildcard entry after India's gold at the Asian Team Championship last month.
