All-Indian final in Asian snooker

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KARACHI, June 11: Seventeen-year-old world champion Pankaj Advani, advanced into the final of the 20th Asian snooker championship held in Aqaba Jordan, when he ended the winning streak of Kwok Wai Fung from Hong Kong 5-2.

In the qualifying rounds young Pankaj accounted for Pakistan's Imran Shehzad 4-1. Pankaj will now meet fellow Indian cueist Alok Kumar, who whizzed past Habib Mahmood from Bahrain 5-0.

Earlier the young Bahraini caused quite a stir when he sent former world and Asian champion Mohammad Yousuf packing home with 4-1 victory in the pre-quarterfinals. Not satisfied with this great triumph, Habib then sent two time Asian champion Mohammad Yasin from India spinning out with a 5-2 victory.

Habib Mahmood is the protege of Pakistan's world No.2 Saleh Mohammed, who has been coaching the Bahrain team for the last two years. However Habib's great run ended in the semifinals when he went down to one of India's finest cueist Alok Kumar 5-2.

Earlier, in the pre-quarter-finals Alok ended the pretensions of Thailand's Issara Kachalwong 4-1, sent Singapore's Alex P Yi-wei out in the semifinals 5-2 and then ended the winning streak of Habib Mahmood.

Imran Shehzad seeded No.5 in Pakistan and representing his country overseas for the very first time, also made his exit in the pre-quarterfinals, bowing out to Yasin Merchant 4-1, which enabled the Indians field three players in the last eight.

It was after a very long period that Pakistan did not have a single representative till the quarterfinal round. Kwok Wai-Fung and Habib Mahmood will now play for the third and fourth slots in the best of five frames.

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