Youngster Shahyan Razmi advances into second round

Mumbai youngster Shahyan Razmi of Radio Club showed plenty of promise and good potting skills, as he went to record a commendable 3-1 win against Yogesh Sharma of Pune in a first round match of the Rs 12.25 lakh prize-money CCI All India Open Snooker Championship at the CCI’s Wilson Jones Billiards Room, on Friday.

The 12-year-old Shahyan, a class seven student of St. Mary’s ISC Schools, Mazgaon, played confidently and steadily against his senior rival from Pune. He comfortably won the first frame, but seemed to have lost his focus in the second, which Sharma won comfortably. However, Shahyan, quickly regained his composure and went on to pocket the next two frames to complete a well-deserved 77-29, 9-68, 60-22, 61-51 victory and a passage to the second round.

In another match, Harmehr Mago of Khar Gymkhana recovered well after dropping the first frame, to put it across Hitesh Kotwani of Hindu Gymkhana, by a 3-1 margin. Mago, taking time to get into his groove, lost the opening frame, but bounced back well to win the next three on the trot to clinch a 34-75, 54-30, 60-28, 59-35 win.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Amin of Cricket Club of India and Kavish Jhaveri of P.J. Hindu Gymkhana, both also came through their respective first round matches by scoring hard-fought 3-2 wins. A determined Amin beat back the challenge from Krishnam Vohra of Otters Club and managed to pull off 59-19, 45-49, 46-21, 35-62, 57-23 win.

Jhaveri was engaged in a keen tussle with Rushabh Gohil of Elphinstone CC in the best-of-five frames contest before snatching a tight victory. After the two shared the opening four frames, Gohil started positively in the deciding frame and with a couple of small breaks enjoyed a marginal 39-17 lead. But Jhaveri with some clever play gradually turned things around and went on to clinch the frame in his favour to complete a 63-28, 15-64, 69-55, 4-56, 63-48 victory.