India's Advani wrests early advantage with facile win

Dubai: Pankaj Advani of India has wasted little time in establishing his authority in the 24th Asian Snooker Championship here.

The flamboyance of Habib Subah of Bahrain was maturely controlled by the relentless break-building ability of Advani.

Advani knocked in his second 100 break of the event to carve out a facile 4-2 win and place him right ahead in the qualifying race.

Pakistan's challenge seems to be heading in the right direction too with all their three contenders recording important wins.

Saleh Mohammad has already advanced to the next stage. Khurram Agha is but a match away from progressing, while Sajjad has been a great find for his country.

Local attractions

Local lads Mohammad Mustafa Shehab, Mohammad Al Joker and Eisa Al Sayed have kept the fans interest alive in the event by knocking out their respective opponents and setting themselves up for a pre-quarterfinal showdown against their more fancied Asian challengers. Shehab was too strong for Ahmad Saif of Qatar as he brushed aside the Qatari without dropping a frame. Al Joker, though, has his hands full when he takes on Khurram in his decisive match, while Eisa, despite a defeat, is poised to take his appointed place in the next round.

Aditya Mehta of India is also showing a lot of promise.