Pankaj Advani makes history at Dott’s expense

By NICK FREESTONE
Published on 15/02/2013 01:32

Pankaj Advani made history at the BetVictor Welsh Open 
yesterday as a 4-1 victory over Graeme Dott saw him become the first Indian player to reach the quarter-finals of a world ranking event.

Advani, the multiple world billiards champion playing as a newcomer on the main snooker tour this season, went 2-0 up in the second-round match in Newport with breaks of 63 and 73.

Dott pulled the third frame back, but Advani subsequently wrapped things up, finishing with a superb break of 100.

The 27-year-old from Pune has now defeated two former world champions at this tournament, having knocked out Shaun Murphy in round one.

“I am surprising myself with this run but I’m just going with the flow and trying to keep winning,” said Advani.

“It’s exciting to be playing against the best in the world, at the top level and under the best conditions.” Advani’s last-eight opponent will be world No 2 Judd Trump, who comfortably saw off Andrew Higginson 4-1.

“It’s nice to see someone from overseas do well and hopefully it will help us get some tournaments in India,” Trump said of Advani.

“I hope he bottles it under pressure tomorrow but I don’t think he will.”

Defending champion Ding Junhui is also through having beaten Mark Allen 4-2 while former world champion Neil Robertson crashed out in a 4-3 defeat to Stuart Bingham.

Bingham meets Ken Doherty in the quarter-finals after the Irishman overcame Tom Ford 4-3, a match in which both men had their chances in the decider.

There will be no home
representation in the last eight, with Welshman Matthew
Stevens losing 4-2 to Scotland’s Stephen Maguire, who came from behind to win the last three frames.