Aditya Mehta hopes to make his sixth straight season in professional snooker count and improve his ranking. Currently ranked 54th in the world, the 29-year-old Mehta has been working with Leicester-based coach Mukesh Parmar in order to sharpen his skills.
Talking to the The Hindu on the sidelines of the RKG Pro-Snooker Series 2015 final, Mehta said: “My ultimate aim is to be among the top 16, but I want to take it step-by-step. My best was 49 and I know I am capable of being among the top 40. Mehta and champion cue sport player Pankaj Advani will represent India in the World Cup in Wuxi, China from next Monday.
Played once in four years and in the Davis Cup format, India is among 24 countries, and is drawn in Group A with China ‘A’, Norway, Singapore, Malta and Austria. The tournament offers a prize money of $200,000.
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It’s been a real grind for Mehta in the first years of the pro-snooker tour, and when asked what he was looking forward to in the sixth year, Mehta said: “I am looking forward to winning my next pro match and improving. My previous ranking means nothing; I have to win more matches and be consistent. Pro-snooker is going to new territories and that’s how one measures its progress and growth.”
Mehta has used the RKG Pro-Snooker series 2015 to get some valuable match practice. He played the Chennai leg, won it and qualified for the grand finale that began at the National Sports Club of India here on Tuesday and is scheduled to play Bharat Sisodiya in the first round on Wednesday.
Is knockout the best format for a grand finale? Without hesitation, Mehta said: “The best 32 players are here; it cannot get any better than this. All players are tough to beat. It is in such a situation you feel the pressure and there is value for victory.
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“The RKG series offers a lot of opportunities for talented players to contest against the best in the country. I am happy to be part of this series,” said Advani, who took part in the New Delhi leg and won it.
A total of Rs. 14 lakh has been won as prize money in the tournament played at New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata. The winner will receive Rs. 2.5 lakh, the runner-up Rs. 1.3 lakh, semifinalists Rs. 50,000 each, quarterfinalists, Rs. 25,000 each and the last-16 Rs. 15,000 each.