Thane’s cueists Anuj Agarwal played with plenty of grit and determination and brushed aside Mumbai’s fancied cueist Rrahul Sachdev romping to a comfortable 4-2 win in a Main Draw first-round match of the Malabar Hill Club State Ranking Snooker Tournament 2024, played at the MHC Billiards Hall on Monday under the aegis of the Billiards & Snooker Association of Maharashtra (BSAM). Gaurav Jaisinghani of Vashi, Navi Mumbai on the other hand scored an easy 4-1 win against Pune’s talented youngster Aarav Sancheti.

Agarwal produced a sequence of three breaks of 31 (3^rd frame), 32 (4^th frame) and 40 (fifth) frame to carve out a 61-62, 53-49, 62-22, 58-10, 57-50, and 62-57 victory to advance to the second round (pre-quarter finals). Sachdev rolled in a break of 32 to win the first frame and 46 in the sixth frame.

Having qualified for the Main Draw from Group E behind Sumit Ahuja (Ulhasnagar) as second best (based on Average score of 0.5 as opposed to 1 of the table topper), Jaisinghani who lost the opening frame narrowly came back strongly to win the next four over Sancheti who earlier had finished second in Group L on the basis on Average score. The Navi Mumbai based cueist coasted to a 4-1 (53-60, 55-49, 45-36, 58-30, and 54-12) win in the best of seven first round match.

Mumbai’s Sumer Mago who earlier had ended up in the runner’s-up position in the summit clash of the in ‘6-Red’ category of the same tourney last week, also won his first round match defeating another young talent Aditya Shandilya (Mumbai) 4-2. The Khar Gymkhana based Mago won with a frame score lines of 71-9, 55-11, 43-56, 72-20, 49-72, 64-21 to advance into the next round.

Results 15-Red Main Draw (Round-1)*:

Sumer Mago (Mumbai) beat Aditya Shandilya (Mumbai) 4-2 (71-9, 55-11, 43-56, 72-20, 49-72, 64-21); Anuj Agarwal (Thane) beat Rrahul Sachdev (Mumbai) 4-2 (61-62 R32), 53-49, 62(31)-22, 58(32)-10, 57(40)-50, 62-57(46); Gaurav Jaisinghani (Vashi) beat Aarav Sancheti (Pune) 4-1 (53-60, 55-49, 45-36, 58-30, 54-12)