Mixed day for Indian cueists

It was a mixed day for Indians at the 25th Asian Snooker Championships in Tangshan, China, on Monday as Manan Chandra and Aditya Mehta continued their winning streaks, while India No.3 Brijesh Damani suffered his first loss in the round robin stage of the tournament.

Mumbai’s Aditya Mehta rode on his current great form as he sailed through Mongolia’s Khash Ochir 4-0. Mehta remained unassailable having lost no frames in the tournament so far. “The start is not bad. It’s good to get past two matches without dropping a frame. But, we’re still not completely comfortable with the tables. The form and confidence will surely help,” Mehta said.

India No.1 Manan Chandra faced stiff opposition in Malaysia’s Choo Yew Wah, but eventually won the contest 4-3. Earlier in the day, he also defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al Ajlani Omer 4-1 with ease. Chandra now has three wins in as many matches.

Team India’s sole disappointment on the second day came from Brijesh Damani as he lost 3-4 to Au Chi Wai of Hong Kong after leading the match 3-1.

With a tough field of players in the main draw, the Indian cueists now aim to top their groups to gain good seedings for the knock out stage.