Pankaj Advani looks to turn the tables at Indian Open

National champion Pankaj Advani is hoping to quickly adjust to the tables that will be used at the Indian Open Snooker World Ranking Tournament, to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai from March 10 to 14.

The 29-year-old found these tables to be different from the ones used for national and other major tournaments played in the country. "The Star tables, which are used on the professional tour, are very quick and we have to get used to playing on these tables," mentioned Advani, who has been preparing for this event since the past two weeks.

"I had a hit at the tables this afternoon and hope that in the next two days we get used to the tables. The surface is very fast and sensitive and you have to play with a soft touch because the cue ball tends to skid a lot. Getting used to the tables is paramount as we will be able to know our limitations and decide exactly what shots are possible," said Advani, who is a multiple World Champion in both billiards and snooker.

Advani takes on Welshman Rhys Clark in the pre-tournament wild card qualifiers on the first day of the event and a win will help to qualify for the 64-player main draw.

"I have not played against Rhys before but he's a much-improved player now and has wins over some top professionals," said Advani.