Advani, Sethi hail compatriot Sitwala despite loss

Leeds: Dhruv Sitwala missed out on a historic title triumph at World Professional Billiards championship but

seasoned pros Pankaj Advani and Geet Sethi on Monday said he does not need to be disappointed as he has matured as a player and this performance will stand him in good stead in future. Sitwala had a dream run at the prestigious tournament as he stunned defending champion Advani and five time winner Sethi en route to the final, which he lost 1204-1738 to legendary Mike Russell. "Dhruv is a great friend of mine and I am feeling extremely happy for him. He put up a brave fight against Russell, whose prolific break building and ability to uncork big breaks is known to everyone. He did well throughout the tournament to sail into the finals," Advani told reporters. "I would be happier had he won the event. But still he came out with good overall performance. He held his nerves and showed tremendous character and composure. This will help him in long run," said Advani, who had lost 608-723 against Sitwala in the last-eight stage of the event on October 30. Sethi, making his 19th appearance at the event, said Sitwala`s excellent performance in the event just showed that how good he has become on the professional circuit. "Dhruv played really well (against Russell). It was a fantastic performance and I believe this will help him in future ahead. He fought two very close matches before advancing to the finals. Despite losing, all credit goes to him for such a fine effort," said the green baize baron Sethi. On his semifinal match against Sitwala, he said, "It was a very close game and that shows how exciting this game is. There had to be one winner after every match and that day it was Sitwala." Sethi said the five-day-long championship will help the Indian players at this month`s Asian Games in China. "The championship just before the Asian Games has helped us prepare better. It`s good to organise it before the Asian Games. Looking forward to the challenge ahead," Sethi added. PTI