Qatar’s Saif strives to regain Tour card

FOUR years ago, Ahmed Saif made history by becoming the first snooker player from Qatar to turn professional. But after joining the world stage on a two-year Tour card, he had to drop out at the end of 2015.

The 33-year-old, who is leading Qatar’s charge at the ongoing World Snooker Championships, is now trying his best to get back to the Tour. 

And he hopes a good show at the Worlds will help him regain confidence.

In his opening group fixture, he beat France’s Alexis Callewaert in straight frames. In the fourth frame, he was exceptional with his top-of-the board play which saw him notch a break of 85.

“I’m happy with the way my game is progressing at the moment. Time and again, I’ve proved to myself that I can play well and win,” said Saif.

About the experience of playing on the Tour, Saif dwelled on how it had helped improve his game.

“On the Tour, I lost many matches because of inexperience. The opponents took many frames from me which I should’ve easily won. I won’t allow such things to happen again,” he added.

The highlight of his two-year stint on the Tour was the 4-0 victory against England’s Anthony Hamilton at the Welsh Open. 

“I was so happy that day to beat such an experienced player like Hamilton,” recalled Saif about the match, where he had a break of 95, his highest-ever so far in a professional match. 

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