Aditya made to toil hard in World 6-Red C`ship

Bangkok: India`s Aditya Mehta had to toil hard for his second win against Thailand`s Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon in the SangSom World 6-Red snooker championship.

Both the cueists had a tough time competing each other, but India`s number one snooker player got the better of his Thai opponent 5-4 in an absorbing battle that saw fortunes fluctuating many a times. Leading 4-0, the 26-year-old Mumbaikar suddenly lost his rhythmic touch and found himself on the verge of losing the game as Thirapongpaiboon constructed breaks of 58, 35, 42 and 64 to win four frames in a row. Aditya, however, showed grit and determination in clearing the table to win the decider 34-1 last night. Aditya had earlier defeated China`s Li Hang by an indentical margin in his tournament opener. Talking about his wins, Aditya said, "Both were crucial for me. They put me in a good position to qualify from the group. I think the 6-Red format is very entertaining and I am looking forward to matches ahead." Aditya will next be playing Ken Doherty of Ireland and Peter Ebdon of England tomorrow. PTI