Indore, April 26: India No.1 Pankaj Advani ran into top form with his second century break in the ongoing Asian snooker tournament as he cracked a 129, the highest so far, while notching his third win to enter the pre-quarter-finals, here late Monday night.
Pankaj, the 25-year-old from Bangalore, demolished Japan’s Hiroshi Matsumura 4-0 to confirm his progress to the knock-out stage from Group B.
Also making the round of 16 were fellow Indians I.H. Manudev, who has won three of his four matches in Group E, Aditya Mehta (Group H) and Kamal Chawla (Group F).
Two other Indians, Manan Chandra and Lucky Vatnani, suffered two defeats apiece that virtually knocked them out of the competition.
The results (preliminary league):
Group A: Mohd. Lababi bt Mohd. Sajjad (PAK) 4-3; Lababi bt Mohd. Al Joaker (UAE) 4-3; Ahmed Hassan Hadi (IRQ) bt Ali Mohsen Khamis (QAT) 4-0.
Group B: Pankaj Advani (IND) bt Hiroshi Matsumura (JPN) 4-0; Yuttapop Pakpoj (THA) bt Matsumura 4-0; Lim Chun Kiat (SIN) bt Sergelan Batdelgar (MON) 4-1.
Group C: Mohammad Rais Senzahi (AFG) bt Manan Chandra (IND) 4-0; Senzahi bt Mohammed Al Sheikh (BAH) 4-2.
Group D: Fung Kwok Wai (HK) bt Saleh Mohammad (AFG) 4-0; Jin Long (CHN) bt Baldandorj Batsukh (MON) 4-1; Mohammad bt Batsukh 4-2.
Group E: Noppadol Sangnil (THA) bt IH Manudev (IND) 4-1; Manudev bt Karam Fatima (SYR) 4-3; Lau Ka Lam (HK) bt Chul Ho Hwang (KOR) 4-0.
Group F: Passakorn Suwannawat (THA) bt Michael Angelo Mengorio (PHI) 4-1; Imran Shahzad (PAK) bt Mubark Kh Al Owais (KUW) 4-1; Suwannawat bt Kamal Chawla (IND) 4-1.
Group G: Tian Pengfei (CHN) bt Lucky Vatnani (IND) 4-2; Omar Alkojah (SYR) bt Tae Hoon Jung (KOR) 4-0; Ahmed Ghuloom (BAH) bt Jung 4-1; Alkojah bt Vatnani 4-2.
Group H: Alvin Ambatali Barbero (PHI) bt Satoshi Nakamura (JPN) 4-0; Aditya Mehta (IND) bt Nakamura 4-0; Mohd. Shehab (UAE) bt Barbero 4-0; Mehta bt Barbero 4-0.
—–IANs