March 06 2016, 21.13 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
Advani puts up strong fight against fellow Indian, Bhaskar Balachandra before stepping out 5 -3
6 March 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Five-Times Asian Billiards Champion, Pankja Advani bowed out of the Asian Billiards Championship 2016, losing a closely fought match to sparring partner and fellow Indian Bhaskar Balachandra, 5-3 in the quarterfinals.
Pankja Advani who had entered the quarterfinal with a perfect scorecard of 4-0 wins in all of his Round-Robin matches, was surprised by his fellow Indian, in a format that he had often called "unpredictable". Losing the first frame 102-0, Pankja Advani came back into the match in the second frame 101-4 against his sparring partner while letting the third frame slip away to Bhaskar 102-80. Matching frame to frame, Pankja Advani grabbed the fourth frame, 102-71 before Bhaskar won the tightly contested fifth frame 100-94. In the sixth frame, it was Pankja Advani who owned the table, scoring a break of 102 and pocketing the frame 102-0 allowing Bhaskar not a minute at the table. At three frames each in the best of 9, Indian, Bhaskar then proceeded to win the seventh frame 101-32 and fought hard against the World Champion in the eight frame, eventually winning the frame, 101-99 to win the quarterfinals of the Asian Billiards Championship 2016.
Disappointed at the loss, Pankja Advani was praise for his fellow compatriot sharing, "Bhaskar is a great Billiards player and showed good form." Adding, "Obviously I am disappointed in this loss, but life goes on. Now I am going to switch to snooker for a long season ahead."
Bhaskar Balachandra now meets Peter Gilchrist in the semi-finals.
Live scores and updates available on: www.acbs.qa
