Leong downs Gupta in summit clash of Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship

Seasoned Malaysian cueist Thor Chuan Leong ended Indian giant-killer Paras Gupta's fairy tale run in the summit clash to win the ACBS Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship here on Wednesday. After both players came through their semifinals with upset wins in the morning, a lot of fireworks were expected in the final. But the 30-year-old Malaysian, a former IBSF World champion and Asian snooker champion in the traditional format, came out firing on all cylinders to score a comfortable 6-2 win over the doughty Indian.

Gupta, who continued his impressive run by scoring a 5-1 win over former IBSF World (15-red) champion Ali Al Obaidli of Qatar in a lopsided semifinal, couldn't reproduce his heroics in the title clash. That seemed to suit Leong, who had defeated three-time world champion (15-red) Muhammad Asif of Pakistan 5-2 in the other semifinal, just fine as he jumped to a 2-0 lead with runs of 39 and 41.

Gupta, however, didn't let the big-match pressure get to him as he punished Leong's error with a break of 35 to pull one back. Even in the fifth, he fought back when he needed two snookers to force a black ball playoff. But the Indian played a poor safety to let Leong off the hook.

The spirited Gupta, the reigning national champion, made a fine 51 clearance under pressure in the sixth to make his maiden appearance in an international final a memorable one. But his fightback was short-lived as he missed several chances in the next frame, the missed yellow to the bottom right cushion proving costly. Riding on another error from Gupta, Leong rifled in a title-clinching break of 41 in the eighth frame for his maiden continental title in the shorter version of snooker.

Earlier, having improved with each outing in the tournament, Gupta showcased vintage form and resilience against his formidable rival. The Indian was on top of his game from the word go, reducing Obaidli to a mere spectator by taking a quick 3-0 lead.

The Qatari cueist, having spent long periods off the table, struggled to get going. But he made the most of Gupta's error to make a frame-clinching break of 29. However, the Indian quickly found his rhythm to take the next two frames to close out the match.