Hyderabad:
Indian hopes in the World Snooker championship received a big jolt with reigning national champion Pankaj Advani going down against Cyprus' Anthony Brabin in the second round of the men's event here on Sunday.
Advani fought hard against 30-year-old Brabin in the round of 32 before losing 59-77, 45-70, 11-71, 73-44, 55-65, 62-02, 65-30, 23-67 in the knock-out stage here.
The 24-year-old Bangalore boy was put him under immense pressure from the start by his rival but Advani made an excellent comeback after trailing 1-4 frames to make it 3-4, thanks to some long distance potting.
Among others in fray, Yasin Merchant kept the tri-colour fluttering and advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the men's event after defeating compatriot Alok Kumar (5-1) 76-37, 37-54, 61-11, 53-01, 76-09, 88-00 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre.