DOHA : Qatar’s Ali Al Obaidli advanced to the semifinals of the 15-red individual snooker competition at the GCC Games Doha 2026 on Saturday, keeping alive his bid for a fourth medal of the tournament.
Al Obaidli defeated the United Arab Emirates’ Mohamed Shehab 3-1 in the quarterfinals after a match lasting nearly two hours at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Hall.
The Qatari player raced into a two-frame lead before Shehab capitalised on a tactical mistake to claim the third frame. Al Obaidli regained control in the fourth frame to close out the contest and secure his place in the final four.
The semifinal appearance gives Al Obaidli a chance to add to an already successful campaign, having won gold in the 10-ball billiards doubles as well as silver medals in the 10-ball singles and 6-red snooker singles events.
Al Obaidli, who topped Group One with wins over Oman’s Qasim Al Balooshi and Kuwait’s Ammar Taqi, will next face Kuwait’s Ahmad Abul, who advanced with a 3-1 victory against the UAE’s Khalid Kamali.
The other semifinal will feature an all-Saudi Arabian clash between Ziad Al Qabbani and Abdullah Al Shammari.
Al Qabbani booked his place with a straight-frames win over Qatar’s Ahmed Saif, while Al Shammari edged Kuwait’s Ammar Taqi 3-2 in a tightly contested quarterfinal.
