PETALING JAYA: Rory Thor Chuan Leong has etched his name into the history books after claiming his maiden  Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship title at the Moors Sports Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

In the final on Wednesday evening, the Malaysian cueist put up a clinical performance to overpower India's Paris Gupta 6-2 (50-5, 44-2, 8-62, 42-12, 47-40, 1-51, 36-24, 48-2). 

Chuan Leong’s triumph surpassed the previous Malaysian best of a runner-up finish achieved by Moh Keen Ho in 2016. 

The Penang-born cueist was in sublime form throughout the knockout rounds, brushing aside Singapore's Jaden Ong (5-1), Hong Kong's Man Ming Wa (5-0), and three-time world champion Mohd Asif of Pakistan (5-2) en route to the final.

Asif had earlier beaten another Malaysian player Lim Kok Leong 5-3 in the quarter-finals. 

His success in Colombo comes as a welcome boost after a challenging year, having recently lost his place on the World Snooker Tour following the conclusion of the 2024-2025 season. 

Chuan Leong, who earned a two-year tour card through the Asia-Oceania Q-School in 2023, was unable to reclaim it in either of the two qualifying legs in Bangkok last month.

The Asian 6-Red crown marks a timely resurgence for Chuan Leong, who had only previously made the quarter-finals of the same tournament in 2023.