Neeraj rallies to shock Yasin Merchant

Neeraj Kumar of South Eastern Railway took away the honours of the day when he came from behind to upset two-time Asian champion Yasin Merchant 4-3 in the Rs 22-lakh RKG-Khar Gymkhana Snooker Masters 2013, today.
Kumar rallied from 1-3 to fashion a memorable win over his seasoned rival in a Group B match at the Khar Gymkhana.
In other league ties, world billiards champion Pankaj Advani and world No 21 Stephen Lee of England cruised to their second wins in as many outings.
Playing only his second league match, Merchant ignored the loss of the opening frame and raced to a comfortable lead, clinching the third frame on the black and then pocketing the next with a lucky black pot and surge to a commanding 3-1 lead.

Later, he was well set to snatch the fifth and seal the issue when he missed the black and Kumar seized the opportunity to take away the frame that triggered a change of fortunes.
Lee fired consistent breaks against Aayush Kumar of Punjab for his second win in Group A, while Advani and Aditya Mehta lived up to their reputations and warmed up for sterner tests ahead.