Published: June 18, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Dominant India outclassed defending champions Hong Kong China 3-1 to storm into the final of the World Team Snooker Championship in Guangdong, China, on Thursday.
In the title clash on Saturday morning, India, who won the championship seven years ago in Myanmar, will take on the winners of the other semifinal between hosts China ‘A’ and Korea.
Despite a few hiccups in the doubles match, both Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta were largely on top of their game. In fact, the Indians could have won in straight frames but frittered away the advantage.
Advani, who was first up, was in excellent form after the early safety skirmishes. Latching onto a missed red by Cheung Ka Wai, the Indian ace constructed a gritty break of 48. He was forced to play around the blue, as the pink was on the yellow spot and the black was blocked by a few reds.
Advani resorted to safety after losing position, snookering his rival behind the pink in the ‘D’. After three failed attempts, Ka Wai hit the object ball, but the first rubber was already decided.
Capitalizing on Wang Yuchen’s poor safety, Mehta rifled in a frame-clinching break of 67. With just three reds on the table and needing two snookers to stay in the match, the Hong Kong cueist conceded after missing a pink to the centre pocket.
Pankaj Advani
The Indian duo then let the reigning champions into the match, losing from a position of strength. Advani and Mehta’s clever safety play had their rivals in trouble early on, but from 25-53 down, Yuchen snookered Advani a few times behind the green to pull one back, winning the third rubber 68-59.
Recharged after a short break, Advani compiled a silken-smooth break of 74 after Yuchen missed a red, taking India into the final.
Payback time against China B
It was payback time earlier in the morning. India, who lost their opening league on the first day to China ‘B’, avenged that defeat with a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals, with Mehta making a crucial break of 58 in the decider against Zhou Jinhao.
Results: Semifinals: India beat Hong Kong China 3-1 (Pankaj Advani beat Cheung Ka Wai 74-1; Aditya Mehta beat Wang Yuchen 67 (67) -9; Advani/ Mehta lost to Yuchen/ Wan Nansen Sin Man 59-68; Advani beat Yuchen 88 (74) -0).
Quarterfinals: India beat China ‘B’ 3-2 (Pankaj Advani beat Zhou Jinhao 66 (66) -3; Aditya Mehta lost to Ma Hailong 0-136 (136); Advani/ Mehta beat Hailong/ Xu Jianhao 70-55; Advani lost to Hailong 0-98 (94); Mehta beat Jinhao 63 (58) -30).
