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Yasin Merchant shines, wins snooker event
Merchant was off to a great start winning the first four frames and seemed that Merchant would wrap it up in the next frame.
Two-time Asian champion Yasin Merchant defeated Aditya Mehta 5-2 in the final of the Khar Gymkhana-Shyam Shroff Memorial Open Invitation Snooker tournament here on Sunday.
Merchant was off to a great start winning the first four frames and seemed that Merchant would wrap it up in the next frame. But Aditya Mehta fought well in the fifth and sixth frame to win it 80-58, 74-51 to keep his hopes alive.
However, Merchant's experience paid off and he came back to win the next frame to seal the championship 62-29, 81-32, 64-24, 76-7, 58-80, 51-74, 58-48 in the best-of-nine frames final that lasted a marathon four hours.
Speaking on his victory, Yasin said, "My safety play was good and I managed to keep Aditya tight. That unscheduled interval disturbed my rhythm and perhaps that was the reason I dropped the fifth and sixth frames."
Merchant had a few words of advice for the Indian number two Mehta.
"Aditya was good, but he could have been better. He did not capitalise on his openings. I always believed he is class player and plays snooker the way it should be played."
Yasin Merchant received Rs 60,000 for winning the event, while Mehta received Rs 30,000. India no. 1 Pankaj Advani received a cash prize of Rs. 5,000 for the highest break.
Results:
Final: Yasin Merchant (Mumbai) bt Aditya Mehta (Mumbai) 62-29, 81(49)-32, 64-24, 76(57)-7, 58-80, 51-74, 58-48.
