Advani (PSPB), who won a record 26th ISBF world title in Doha last month, brushed aside Sufyan Ahmed of Karnataka 4-0 as he warmed up for the challenges ahead with breaks of 41, 44 and 34 in Group A.
A former champion, Advani finished runner-up to Ishpreet Singh Chadha (Maharashtra) in the previous edition and said the beauty of this format lies in its unpredictability.
A total of 64 players have been divided equally into 16 groups for the main draw round-robin league, with the top two from each qualifying for the knock-outs.
Among other notable matches of the day, last year’s semi-finalist Kamal Chawla (RSPB) put it past Hassan Badami (Maharashtra) 4-0 in Group B and Aditya Mehta (PSPB) beat Vijay Nichani (TN) 4-1 in Group G.
–Ajit Weekly News
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