Advani in snooker qualifier semis

Furth (Germany), Aug 26 (IANS) India's Pankaj Advani advanced to the semifinals of the qualifiers for the European Tour-1 Paul Hunter Classic snooker tournament after defeating Welshman Ryan Day 4-1 here Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Advani beat Mark King 4-3 and carried his winning momentum to overcome World No.29 Day to become the only Indian to enter the semifinals of an international professional snooker tournament.

After sharing the opening two frames, Advani pocketed the next three with a break of 47 in the fifth to seal the match and set up a clash with Mark Selby.

Earlier, in a closely fought match, King, ranked No.35, was quick off the blocks to take a 2-0 lead, but Advani stormed back into the match by winning the next two frames, with a break of 60 in the fourth.

With the match evenly poised, King took the fifth frame to gain a slight edge, but Advani won the sixth game to make it even.

Thriving under pressure, Advani was unstoppable in the seventh frame, opening with a 44-point break and went on to clinch the match 4-3.

Advani has been having a dream run in the tournament with victories over former World No.1 John Higgins and the legendary Steve Davis.