Chitra books knockout berth in World Snooker

Chitra Magimairajan maintained her unbeaten run in the women's league and became the first home player to qualify for the knock-out phase of the IBSF World Snooker Championship here Saturday.

While 41-year-old Chitra posted her fourth win in the six-player Group D when she beat fellow Indian Meenal Thakur 3-1, young Amee Kamani and reigning national champion Vidya Pillai all but booked their knock-out berths by maintaining their all-win record.

Of the trio, 22-year-old Kamani from Indore gave much cause for jubilation. Just four years after taking to snooker and coached by Sanjay Sawant, she showcased her abundant talent and her fluent 3-0 win over Iranian Akram Mohammadi Amini was further testimony to the fact that she is a work in progress.

Amani posted her third win in a row and with four players to qualify for the knockouts from each of the six groups, her progress to the next stage was assured.

National champion Pillai chaffed at the bit while overcoming a 1-2 deficit to beat South Africa's Nicola Illse Rossouw 3-2 to notch her third win.

Elsewhere, defending women's champion Wendy Jans from Belgium crafted breaks of 43, 57 and 32 in beating Neena Praveen 3-0 for her third win while sending out notice about the kind of form she is in.

Pillai was far from happy with her performance against Rossouw whose slow pace seemed to irk the Indian star who, after a bright start in the first frame, all but fell apart and was quite relieved to come through in seven frames.

"I played quite well in the first frame but thereafter I was struggling to pot a ball and was all over the table. In a way, my opponent's slow pace also affected my game but overall, I didn't play all that well. I am happy that I won and that was what mattered," said a relieved Pillai who will turn 37 Nov 26.

In the men's section, Pankaj Advani and Kamal Chawla, both of whom posted their fourth win, albeit in contrasting style, confirmed their progress to the knockout stage.

Title favourite Advani edged past compatriot Lucky Vatnani 4-2 after trailing 0-1 and 1-2 in a long match which was more a battle of attrition while Chawla, with breaks of 84 and 79, breezed past Mikhail Kerekhov of Russia 4-1.

The 29-year-old Advani was far from pleased with the playing conditions during his 10 a.m. match, though he looked his self in the final three frames that he took on breaks of 57, 52 and 68 after Vatnani had pouched the first with a run of 53 and a scrappy third with two reds left.

"Certainly, not the best of conditions this morning and the dampness made the balls heavy. The cue-ball tended to grip a bit more and I wasn't quite sure the strength I had to impart in my shots. However, I thought I played quite well in the last three frames when I was able to get some rhythm in my game," said Advani.

Earlier, Manan Chandra also continued his winning ways by posting a fluent 4-0 result over New Zealand veteran Paul Bason. The talented 33-year-old Delhi-based Chandra, a former national champion, went for his shots from the outset and looked to be in good touch.

The results (Indians unless mentioned):

MEN - Group A: Amir Sarkosh (IRN) bt Shivam Arora 4-1; Robert Murphy (IRE) bt Tetsuya Kuwata (JPN) 4-0; Nick Jennings (ENG) bt Cader Mohamed (MAU) 4-0.

Group B: Laxman Rawat bt Mohsen Bukshaisha (QAT) 4-2; Antonis Poullos (CYP) bt Gary Thomson (SCO) 4-2; Thor Chuan Leong (MAS) bt Jurian Heusdens (BEL) 4-2.

Group C: Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn (THA) bt Varun Madan 4-3; Michael Collumb (SCO) bt Vinicius Da Silva Fucuta (BRA) 4-0; Hamza Akbar (PAK) bt Ivan Kakovsky (RUS) 4-2.

Group D: Fabio Anderson Leursen (BRA) bt Ali Alobidli (QAT) 4-0; Sanderson Lam (ENG) bt Divya Sharma 4-3.

Group E: Karam Fatima (SYR) bt Jim Johansson (SWE) 4-1; Rahul Ajay Sachdev bt Wael Talaat (EGY) 4-1.

Group F: Kamal Chawla bt Mikhail Terekov (RUS) 4-1; Shahbaaz Adil Khan bt Jurgen Van Roy (BEL) 4-1; Matthew Bolton (AUS) bt Ang Boon Chin (SIN) 4-2.

Group G: Boonyarit Keattikun (THA) bt Alvin Barbeiro (PHI) 4-0; Manan Chandra bt Paul Bason (NZ) 4-0; Jamie Clarke (WAL) bt Andrej Maksimov (LIT) 4-0.

Group H: Pankaj Advani bt Lucky Vatnani 4-2; Keen Hoo Moh (MAS) bt Chi Wai Au (HK) 4-1; Paul Schopf (AUT) bt Mike Toth (SUI) 4-1.

Group J: Lee Chun Wai (HK) bt Keishin Kamihashi (JPN) 4-0; Michael Judge (IRE) bt Ajeya Prabhakar (US) 4-0; Rupesh Shah bt Mohd Reza Hassan (MAS) 4-1; Lim Chun Kiat (SIN) bt David Judd (NZ) 4-0.

Group L: John Whitty (ENG) bt Keng Kwang Chan (SIN) 4-0; Muhammad Faaris Kahn (RSA) bt Shyam Jagtiani 4-1; Zhao Xintong (CHN) bt Keng Kwang Chan (SIN) 4-2.

Group M: Michael Mengorio (PHI) bt Henrikas Strolis (LIT) 4-1; Patryk Maslowski (POL) bt Mohammed Alshamsi (UAE) 4-0.

WOMEN - Group A: Waratthanun Sukritthanes (THA) bt Kathy Parashis (AUS) 3-0; Wendy Jans (BEL) bt Neena Praveen 3-0; Umadevi Revanna bt Claudia Zardo Cordeiro (BRA) 3-1.

Group B: Amee Kamani bt Akram Mohammadi Amini (IRN) 3-0; Siraphat Chitchomnart (THA) bt Alexandra Teramoto Miyuki (BRA) 3-0.

Group C: Sue Martin (AUS) bt Fernanda Irineu (BRA) 3-0; Ng On Yee (HK) bt Anastasija Singurindi (RUS) 3-0; Vidya Pillai bt Nicola Illse Rossouw (RSA) 3-2.

Group D: Chitra Magimairajan bt Meenal Thakur 3-1; Floriza Andal (PHI) bt Ka Kai Wan (HK) 3-0; Carmelita Yumito (BRA) bt Bussanich Suzanne (AUS) 3-0.

MASTERS - Group A: Paul Temple (NZ) bt Masahiro Harada (JPN) 3-1; Tom O'Driscoll (IRE) bt Nadeem Ahmed 3-0.

Group B: Noel Rodrigues Moreira (BRA) bt Paul Thomerson (AUS) 3-2.

Group F: So Man Yan (HKG) bt Amy Claire King (RSA) 3-0; Varsha Sanjeev bt Kimberlee Brewer (NZ) 3-0; Daria Sirotina (RUS) bt Indira Thamme Gowda 3-0.

Group H: Prem Prakash S. bt Marcelo Mota (BRA) 3-0; Salim Ali Alsuwaidi (UAE) bt Juha Lehto (FIN) 3-2; Gavin Lewis (WAL) bt Mark Hannah (NZ) 3-1.

Group J: Moosa Saleem (MAS) bt B.V. Srinivasa Murthy 3-0; Choon Kiat Tey (SIN) bt Alun Squire (WAL) 3-2; Muhammad Leysi (TUR) bt Ebrahim Baghi (AUT) 3-2.

Group K: Rune Kampe (DEN) bt Nadeem Azeez Sait 3-0; Anthony Bonnar (IRE) bt Mohammed Al Joaker (UAE) 3-0; Tom Zimmermann (SUI) bt Walid Hamdy (EGY) 3-1.

Group L: Craig MacGillivray (SCO) bt Venkatesham K. 3-0; Chuchart Trairattanapradit (THA) bt Stephen Walsh (IRE) 3-0; Igshaan Stanfield (RSA) bt Julio Cesar Maus (BRA) 3-0. - IANS