Advani, Shandilya enter billiards semis

Advani and Shandilya, Indian hope for gold are dominating in the billiards with fine game.

India's Pankaj Advani and Ashok Shandilya continued their progress towards the gold medal in the Asian Games Billiards singles by entering the semi-finals after facile victories.

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Advani, the only person in the world to have won both the world snooker and billiards titles other than Malta's Paul Mifsud, routed Thailand's C Praput 3-0 to make the last four.

The 21-year-old Bangalore-based Advani, who survived a scare in the round of 16 when he was taken the distance by Vietnamese cueist N Thanh Long before winning 3-2, overcame Thailand's Praput by 100-29 100-2 100-11 to line up for a berth against Myanmar's Aung San Oo later on Tuesday.

Shandilya, ousted Filipino rival Reynaldo Grandea by 3-0 (101-61 103-25 101-24) to enter the semis where he faces former world professional champion Peter Gilchrist, an ex-British national who is representing Singapore now, for a place in the final.

The lankly Gilchrist downed Thailand's G Sujaritturakarn 3-1 in his quarter final encounter.