April 14 2016, 14.55 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
" It's now or never!" Pankaj, on his missing Trophy
15-time World Champion, Pankaj Advani aims for the Asian Snooker Championship Title. The only title to have eluded him till date.
April 15th, 2016, Qatar: The holder of 15 World Titles across Billiards and Snooker, India's Golden Boy, Pankaj Advani aims for the only trophy from his trophy cabinet - The Asian Snooker Championship. Having won the World Title in both the long and short format of the game, the Asian Snooker title is a trophy the bold Pankaj is now greedy for.
With the tournament scheduled to commence the 16th of April 2016, Pankaj who is top seed post ending finalist in 2015, is focused solely on ending on top. Commenting on the start of his campaign, Pankaj was earnest yet cautious, "This may be my only Kryptonite, that elusive trophy that I now demand. With the only record I don't hold, this tournament always has an extremely special place in my heart - for all the right reasons, because this truly will be a joy to win!"
With practice during the last week hindered by a strained back and neck causing his absence at the Petroleum tournament, Pankaj is hoping that the physiotherapist prescribed bed rest also plays the role of reset post his quarter-final exit at the Asian Billiards Championship earlier this year.
A finalist in the previous year, after losing to Pakistani, Hamza Akbar in a closely contested match 6-7, Pankaj was the first to admit that the challenge of winning the Asian Snooker Title for the first time would be tough, yet extremely exciting. "This is my first snooker tournament of the year and as the only cueist who plays both Billiards and Snooker over the last five years now, it is still often not the smoothest transition. Getting into the mind-space for Snooker has required a mental transition over the last one month, which I consciously have worked on. Every competition in all formats of the sport has always presented its own challenges and competition and it's the excitement in conquering those challenges that keeps me going." concluded Advani.
With the Asian Snooker Championship being played in Quatar, live scores will be available on www.acbs.qa.