Asian Snooker Championship: Pankaj Advani cruises into semis, assured medal

Top Indian cueist Pankaj Advani was on Thursday assured of a medal after he reached the semifinals of the Asian Snooker Championship in Doha. Advani, who gained top seeding after his near flawless group stage matches, scoring wins of 4-1, 4-1 and 4-0, breezed through the last-32 and last-16 stages to be the only Indian left in the top 8 of the championship.

On Thursday, the 16-time world champion was in full flow as he beat UAE's leading snooker player Mohammed Al-Joaker 5-1 in the quarterfinals to assure India's only medal in the event. The second frame saw Advani's highest break of this tournament at 102.

After winning the gold medal at the Asian Billiards Championship earlier this month, Advani is on track to attain a historic Asian double. While Advani has won the Asian 6-red Snooker Championship (last year), this title (15-red Asian Snooker) is the only one missing from his vast trophy cabinet.

Result: Pankaj Advani (India) beat Mohammed Al-Joaker (UAE) 5-1: 58-52, 102(102)-0, 12-60, 60-31, 56-20, 71-59.