NEW DELHI: Former 8-ball pool national champion Sumit Talwar of Chandigarh and Shoiab Khan of Delhi won the qualifying round of the RKG 10-Red snooker tournament at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) here.
Sumit was three frames down but changed gears and defeated his opponent by winning the next four frames. The final score was 4-3 (17-50 26-39 0-79 60-0 54-42 77-07 45-25) in Sumit's favour.
Shoiab won the first three frames and lost the next two but later on played safety in the sixth frame and secured the match with comfortable ease . The score read 4-2 (62-0 50-35 60-21 01-56 15-48 69-01).
The main event will be played from April 27 to 30 and carries a total prize money of Rs 11.25 lakh. Both Sumit and Shoiab will be part of the main event.
A beaming Shoiab later told the media that the 10-Red snooker format needs to promoted nationally. "I don't feel tired playing this version of snooker. This format should be included in the Nationals. The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) should promote it nationally. It is better than 6-Red as the frame in that format finishes in two minutes," said the former junior national snooker champion.
Explaining the importance of this format, Delhi and Billiards Snooker Association (DBSA) president Vijay Goel said, "As you miss a shot in 6-Red, the opponent will finish the frame and you hardly get any chance to make a comeback. In 10-Red, there is much more variety and opportunity to showcase your skill."
