World Team Snooker Championship 2026: India Beat Hong Kong China 3-1 To Storm Into Final
· Free Press Journal
Guangdong, China, June 18: Dominant India outclassed defending champions Hong Kong China 3-1 to storm into the final of the World Team Snooker Championship here on Thursday.
In the title clash on Saturday morning, India, who won the championship seven years ago in Myanmar, will take on the winners of the other semifinal between hosts China ‘A’ and Korea.
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India dominate semifinal
Despite a few hiccups in the doubles match, both Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta were largely on top of their game. In fact, the Indians could have won in straight frames but frittered away the advantage.
Advani, who was first up, was in excellent form after the early safety skirmishes. Latching onto a missed red by Cheung Ka Wai, the Indian ace constructed a gritty break of 48. He was forced to play around the blue, as the pink was on the yellow spot and the black was blocked by a few reds.
Advani resorted to safety after losing position, snookering his rival behind the pink in the ‘D’. After three failed attempts, Ka Wai hit the object ball, but the first rubber was already decided.
Capitalising on Wang Yuchen’s poor safety, Mehta rifled in a frame-clinching break of 67. With just three reds on the table and needing two snookers to stay in the match, the Hong Kong cueist conceded after missing a pink to the centre pocket.
The Indian duo then let the reigning champions into the match, losing from a position of strength. Advani and Mehta’s clever safety play had their rivals in trouble early on, but from 25-53 down, Yuchen snookered Advani a few times behind the green to pull one back, winning the third rubber 68-59.
Recharged after a short break, Advani compiled a silken-smooth break of 74 after Yuchen missed a red, taking India into the final.
Quarterfinal revenge over China ‘B’
It was payback time earlier in the morning. India, who lost their opening league match on the first day to China ‘B’, avenged that defeat with a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals, with Mehta making a crucial break of 58 in the decider against Zhou Jinhao.
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World Team Snooker Championship 2026: India Beat Mongolia 3-1 To Reach Quarter-Finals, Set Up China ‘B’ ClashResults
Semifinals: India bt Hong Kong China 3-1 (Pankaj Advani bt Cheung Ka Wai 74-1; Aditya Mehta bt Wang Yuchen 67 (67)-9; Advani/Mehta lost to Yuchen/Wan Nansen Sin Man 59-68; Advani bt Yuchen 88 (74)-0).
Quarters: India bt China ‘B’ 3-2 (Pankaj Advani bt Zhou Jinhao 66 (66)-3; Aditya Mehta lost to Ma Hailong 0-136 (136); Advani/Mehta bt Hailong/Xu Jianhao 70-55; Advani lost to Hailong 0-98 (94); Mehta bt Jinhao 63 (58)-30).