The 30-year-old finally tasted success on the Asian circuit after defeating Malaysia’s Keen Hoo Moh in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night. The 7-5 (39-4, 6-51, 40-14, 0-37, 41-7, 44-8, 38-21, 45-24, 1-35, 45-36, 15-38, 53-24) triumph also saw him end his six-month wait for a crown.
After being beaten in last month’s semi-final in the Asian Snooker Championships in Qatar, Advani went back to India and requested KSBA to prepare a surface that would be similar in the capital.
“They put on a match cloth where I could play on the conditions for two days,” said the 2003 IBSF World Snooker champion.
“I think that really helped me get adjusted to the conditions. I owe a lot to them and it’s like my second home and they’ve supported me a lot. Playing on that for two days made a huge difference.
“Although I didn’t start off brilliantly in this tournament, I still felt really comfortably.”
He had to overcome strong opposition en route to glory, overcoming Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif (6-2) and compatriot Aditya Mehta (6-1) in the knock-out stages.
Although those victories seemed one-sided, he insists that wasn’t the case and the experience helped him get in good stead for the final.
This title is for those hundreds of fans who believed in me. Cuesports won't make front page news but thanks to the few who always believe.
— Pankaj Advani (@PankajAdvani247) May 23, 2016
“I told myself that I’m not going to put my foot off the pedal because Muhammad Asif is not someone who will give too many chances,” he said. “I was really sharp against him and the same with Aditya. Sometimes you just have to hang in there as you can’t always give your best.”
Meanwhile, in Monday’s team event, Pankaj helped India win both their group games.
Joined by Mehta and Manan Chandra, they defeated Qatar and Sri Lanka 3-0 respectively.
But it was a mixed day for the UAE, who are fielding two teams. Mohamed Shehab and Mohammed Al Joaker saw UAE ‘A’ beat Palestine and Afghanistan 3-1.
UAE ‘B’ team struggled, losing 3-1 to Malaysia and Pakistan ‘A’, respectively.
