Aditya Mehta bags spot in Indian Asian Games snooker side

Mumbai, Sep 11 (UNI) Junior National champion Aditya Mehta graduated to the senior ranks when he clinched the third place, in the Asian Games snooker selection tournament at the Goregaon Sports Club here today.

The 4-2 win against Rupesh Shah made it three wins out of five and the fourth position overall behind Pankaj Advani, Yasin Merchant and Manan Chandra.

Rupesh Shah and Rafat Habib were those falling by the wayside in the six-man trials of whom four had to be picked. Habib had won the snooker doubles gold with Yasin Merchant at the Busan Asiad in 2002.

Habib was blanked 4-0 by Manan Chandra on Monday.

''It's a great thing for me after being No 8, 6 and 5 in the last three trials,'' said Aditya who picked up the game from his father Snehal, a player of Chembur Gymkhana. Aditya had gone to the recent World Team Championship as an India A team member.

India's top two stars Pankaj Advani and Yasin Merchant, were in action in the day's third match and in a match full of strokeplay, Advani edged out Merchant 4-3. Yasin sparkled with an 80 in the opening frame. Advani hit back with breaks of 68 and 60.

Results: Pankaj Advani bt Yasin Merchant 4-3 (34-81 (80), 88-0, 65-72, 76 (68)-1, 32-63, 71 (60)-54, 60-52.

Manan Chandra bt Rafat Habib 4-0 ( 89 (88)-1,59-48, 65-33, 75(50)-0.

Aditya Mehta bt Rupesh Shah 4-2 (79-37,1-63,19-75, 84(63)-42, 78-39, 81-27).

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