Advanis hopes dashed,Mehta still in contention

Pankaj Advani's hopes of qualifying for the final stages of the World Championship at Sheffield ended prematurely as he lost 10-8 to Joe Swail in his opening match

Pankaj Advani8217;s hopes of qualifying for the final stages of the World Championship at Sheffield ended prematurely as he lost 10-8 to Joe Swail in his opening match. Aditya Mehta stayed in contention and kept Indian hopes of representation in the final stages afloat as he beat Daniel Wells 10-7,setting up a match with Alan McManus.

Swail,42,a two-time Crucible semi-finalist had dropped off the main tour at the end of last season and had hinted at quitting snooker for good,but decided to compete as an amateur in Players Tour Championship events this term and managed to qualify for Galway. The Belfast potter,nicknamed the Outlaw,had shown his fighting spirit when recovering from the brink of defeat to beat Welsh Open champion Stephen Maguire,and brought the same doggedness to the table against Advani.

The North Ireland cueist had lined up three wins in the event having started in the rounds for WPBSA members not on the main tour,and moved within three more wins of the TV stages with an impressive victory,rudely ending Advani8217;s dreams of playing at the Crucible.

Swail went 3-0 up,and looked on a roll with a top break of 78 in the third frame,before Advani responded with his own break of 67 in the fourth to start pegging back his opponent. The 27-year-old Indian seemed to have hit the groove in the seventh frame where he scored a century break 100 and had drawn level at 4 frames apiece,but Swail who revels on the Sheffield stage where he is known to produce his best snooker clinched the 13th frame crucially winning it 67-1 including a break of 58.

Though unranked,the former World No 10 was a veteran of such situations and got the cookie to crumble. He out-potted Advani in the final two frames showing an iron will and a fiercely stubborn temperament,to dump the Indian still new to the marathon 19-frame format out of contention.

Mehta lived to fight another day,after going neck and neck with his Welsh opponent,right upto 7-7 before rattling off the big breaks against a player ranked just below him. The 24-year-old Wells had the lone century break of the match but Mehta turned it on when it mattered the most with breaks of 53 and 57in the last two frames to race up to a 10-7 victory and set up a match with Alan McManus.

Mehta8217;s next opponent is a Scotsman adept at defensive play,and a cricket fan,who has picked up his tempo from the last big event the Welsh Open,after years of under-achievement. One of the stiffer opponents for the Indian,Mehta will rely on his couple of seasons of experience to out-smart the 42-year-old seasoned player.