Dubai: Mohammad Shehab won his second title in as many months when he hammered Mohammad Al Joker 4-0 in the ENOC UAE Snooker Ranking Circuit's second event final at Dubai Snooker Club on Sunday evening.
The lopsided nature of the scoreline was a major surprise. The big breaks that Shehab had been scoring through the tournament were missing, but they weren't even needed.
Al Joker was a pale shadow of the man who has won numerous snooker honours around the world. If some of his pots on Sunday were a joy to watch, his misses were even more spectacular.
All Shehab, who had captured the first event crown in February, was required to do was to pick up points in bits and pieces. Al Joker had plenty of opportunities during the final, but he could not capitalise on them and made things easier for Shehab.
Al Joker's performance even left Shehab puzzled. "I expected a tough battle," he said. "It was there for everyone to see that he was under a tremendous amount of pressure. We both missed today but I was still able to pot the crucial balls in all frames.
"I wasn't at my best in my first match and went back to the drawing board. I decided to alter my style a bit and it paid off.
"I have been able to score frame-winning breaks whenever a chance came my way and it is really important for me."
Al Joker said: "Coming into the final I had two very tough games. In fact those matches weren't made tough by my opponents but by myself.
"I had lost in the quarter-finals of the first event and that put me under a lot of pressure. I knew I would have to make it to the final of this tournament to be able to stay among the top four.
"At least I have been able to check the slide and am back in No. 2 spot in the national rankings, which should have a positive impact on my performances in the events to come."
Shehab, who also took home the highest break trophy for his 99 points in the last-16 round, retains top place in the rankings. The next tournament of the circuit is scheduled to take place in May.
Noaman Al Saleh, ENOC's Acting Director Brands & Corporate Communications, gave away the prizes. The UAE Billiards & Snooker Association Vice-President Mohammad Tamjeed Abdulla, General Secretary Sultan Al Joker and the Deputy General Secretary were also present.
