Dubai: Qatar’s Bashar Hussain maintained his poise to get the better of Iraq’s Ehab Hassan 12-9 and win the inaugural UAE 9-Ball Arab Open Billiards Championship that concluded at Dubai International Airport on Saturday.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Maktoum Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the first edition of the competition attracted 128 players from 16 Arab nations.
Hussain, a former Gulf, Asian and Arab champion, had a solid start and an equally firm finish to walk away with the title.
“The idea was to keep positive at all times, especially when he [Ehab Hassan] was in the lead. I am so happy to be crowned champion in this inaugural edition of this tournament,” Hussain told media after receiving the winner’s cheque of Dh20,000 and trophy from tournament patron Shaikh Maktoum.
“This win has given me a lot of confidence and this should come in handy as I prepare to represent my country at the Incheon Asian Games in September.”
Hussain was fluent in his approach as he took a 4-0 lead, but his Iraqi opponent fought back to level at 4-4. From then on, it was a neck-and-neck affair until the Qatari edged clear at 10-9 and won the next two frames to seal the match.
“I did well to equalise at 4-4, but a couple of mistakes at crucial junctures took the game out of my control,” Hassan said.
The billiards tournament was organised by Pro9, under supervision from the UAE Snooker and Billiards Association and Dubai Airports.
