World Team Snooker Championship: India beat Hong Kong 3-1 to reach final

Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta powered India into the final of the World Team Snooker Championship with a 3-1 win over Hong Kong. Earlier, India avenged an opening-day defeat by edging China ‘B’ 3-2 in the quarterfinals

Hyderabad: A dominant India outclassed defending champions Hong Kong China 3-1 to storm into the final of the World Team Snooker Championship on Thursday.

India—who won this championship seven years ago in Myanmar—will take on the winners of the second semifinal between hosts China ‘A’ and Korea in Saturday morning’s title clash.

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Despite a few hiccups in the doubles rubber, Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta were largely on top of their game. The Indians could have wrapped up a straight-frames victory but frittered away an early advantage in the doubles.

Advani, up first, found his groove quickly after the initial safety skirmishes. Latching onto a missed red by Cheung Ka Wai, the Indian ace constructed a gritty 48 break. With the pink on the yellow spot and the black blocked by a cluster of reds, Advani was forced to navigate carefully around the blue ball.

After losing position, Advani resorted to safety play, snookering his rival behind the pink in the ‘D’. After three failed escape attempts, Ka Wai finally hit the object ball, but the opening frame was already out of reach.

Capitalizing on Wang Yuchen’s poor safety in the second frame, Mehta rifled in a clinical, frame-clinching break of 67. With just three reds left on the table and needing two snookers to stay alive, the Hong Kong cueist conceded after rattling a pink out of the center pocket.

The Indian duo then let the reigning champions back into the match from a position of strength. Advani and Mehta’s clever safety play troubled their rivals early on, but from 25-53 down, Yuchen snookered Advani multiple times behind the green to pull a frame back, snatching the doubles rubber 68-59.

Recharged after the interval, Advani capitalised on another missed red by Yuchen to compile a silken-smooth 74 break, sealing the match and anchoring India into the final.

Quarterfinal Thriller
Earlier in the morning, India exacted revenge for their opening-day league defeat to China ‘B’ by edging them 3-2 in a hard-fought quarterfinal. Mehta proved to be the hero, constructing a crucial 58 break in the deciding frame against Zhou Jinhao.

Results:

Semifinals: India bt Hong Kong China 3-1 (Pankaj Advani bt Cheung Ka Wai 74-1; Aditya Mehta bt Wang Yuchen 67(67)-9; Advani/Mehta lost to Yuchen/Wan Nansen Sin Man 59-68; Advani bt Yuchen 88(74)-0).

Quarterfinals: India bt China ‘B’ 3-2 (Pankaj Advani bt Zhou Jinhao 66(66)-3; Aditya Mehta lost to Ma Hailong 0-136(136); Advani/Mehta bt Hailong/Xu Jianhao 70-55; Advani lost to Ma Hailong 0-98(94); Mehta bt Zhou Jinhao 63(58)-30).