NEW DELHI: National junior snooker champion Digvijay enthralled the audience by constructing a superb break of 101 in the fifth and final qualifying event of the RKG 10-Red snooker tournament, currently underway at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) here.
Digvijay defeated fellow cueist Ramanpreet 53-45 101-0 40-44 58-0 33-47 18-53 63-21 in a close contest. Ramanpreet had earlier edged past Asian Games gold medallist Rafat Habib 4-2.
In the other match, seasoned Sandeep Gulati staved off a tough challenge from Oshim before prevailing 4-2 in a thrilling showdown.
However, it was curtains for Manmeet Bhatia, who lost to former junior national champion Shoiab Khan. Khan won 45-21 14-52 40-03 57-28 27-57 24-40 49-1. Faisal Khan also advanced to the next round after defeating Sharad 38-41 64-06 28-58 51-01 57-01 47-12.
"Noted players including Manan Chandra, Sandeep Gulati and Shoiab Khan have liked the 10-Red snooker version and have hoped that it's recognised as a competitive discipline of the cue sport at the 2030 Asian games in Doha," remarked Delhi Billiards and Snooker Association (DBSA) secretary Ravi Tandon.
The qualifying event will make way for the main round of the RKG 10-Red snooker tournament, which will be played from April 27 to 30 here. The main tournament will carry a prize money of Rs 11,25,000. The first four qualification meets were held in Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Indore.
