Merchant advances to knockout stage

Yasin Merchant notched the tournament's highest break of 134 en route to the knock-out round of the ONGC-IBSF World snooker championship in Hyderabad along with other Indians, including Pankaj Advani and Geet Sethi.

Yasin Merchant notched the tournament's highest break of 134 en route to the knock-out round of the ONGC-IBSF World snooker championship here on Thursday along with other Indians, including Pankaj Advani and Geet Sethi.

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Merchant, the former Asian and National champion, posted the 134 in the first frame against Pakistan's Mohammed Asif who, despite a brave fight, could not stop the Indian from posting a 4-1 win. Asif, with three wins, however, qualified for the knock-out rounds. In the women's category, Vidya Pillai topped her group by winning all her five matches.