Mahesh Jagdale of Maharashtra shocked seasoned Devendra Joshi 587-401 to keep his hopes alive in the CCI Classic Billiards and Snooker Tournament here today.
Jagdale's comfortable win over Joshi in Group D billiards tie left the door marginally ajar for his place in the knock out.
Jagdale, who lost his earlier ties to India no. 4 Dhruv Sitwala, Karnataka-based K Venkatesham of Railways and Rupesh Shah of PSPB, capitalised on the opportunities that came his way and relied on crucial breaks to stay ahead of his more accomplished opponent.
Joshi, who lit up the competition with a brilliant 218 break the previous day, surprisingly struggled, missing crucial top-table shots that set him back. Jagdale seized his chances and sealed the issue with a crucial break of 60 in the last half hour that left Joshi with little hope of a recovery.
In another significant upset, India No. 5 Rupesh Shah stunned twice world runner-up Sitwala 545-252, while national champion Sourav Kothari kicked off his campaign with two straight wins.
In Group C, India No. 7 Malkeet Singh registered a crucial win over Aditya Agrawal of Railways for his fourth straight win to seal his place in the pre-quarter-finals.
