The Hindu : Sport / Billiards & Snooker : Advani to meet Merchant in final

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Advani to meet Merchant in final

Mumbai: Top seed Pankaj Advani got the better of Kamal Chawla by six frames to three to set up a clash with Yasin Merchant in the final of the Rs. 3.77 lakh Cricket Club of India (CCI) Platinum Jubilee Open snooker tournament.

At the Wilson Jones Billiards Room here on Thursday, defending champion Merchant put an end to the fine run of Shahbaz Khan in the first semifinal.

A much relieved Advani said: “It’s not always possible to play a flawless game as it was in the opening game of the tournament for me. It’s always been a question of how I handle pressure as I progress in a tournament.

“I will try and be sharper against Yasin. I beat him 5-3 in the Hyderabad Nationals in 2007. Kamal has beaten almost all the seasoned players at least once.

“He is a matured player, but I suppose he had to take risks and make a contest after I went up 5-2.”

The results (semifinals): Yasin Merchant bt Shahbaz Khan 6-2 (66-20, 70-31, 66-43, 44-69, 50-57, 60-26, 53-30, 82-3).

Pankaj Advani bt Kamal Chawla 6-3 (30-81, 69-29, 72-47, 74-16, 21-64, 78-7, 85-28, 56-64, 63-40). — Special Correspondent

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