Calcutta: Beating a class player like Aditya Mehta 5-1, Pankaj Advani believes he exceeded his own expectations in the Kolkata Open National Invitation Snooker Championship at the Bengal Rowing Club on Sunday.

"Any opponent who's formidable and has got the ability that Aditya has brings out the best in you. Sometimes it can work the other way too. Had Aditya finished it off in the first frame given how he started, things may have been very different today.

"When you know your opponent is very capable, you understand that you have to make use of the chances you get because there are going to be very few of them. It just makes you sharper.

"No matter what the break is, I'm going to try and play well. So, in that sense, I exceeded my own expectations. I'm really glad to have performed exceptionally well," a delighted Advani said.

Coming back to win the first frame despite trailing 0-56 was the turning point of the game and set the tone for Advani, he pointed out.

"To be honest, I never thought I would win the first frame. Aditya was striking it beautifully and I told myself if I get a chance, I will score as much as I can, play safe and maybe try and finish it off.

"That's exactly what happened. The first frame set the tone and gave me the confidence to win the next three frames."

Elaborating on his rivalry with Mehta, Advani said: "I feel that both Aditya and I have taken snooker to a very high level in this country over the last five years, especially. And I think we should celebrate that. It's a very healthy rivalry and we are very good friends off the table.

"We respect each other because we know what this game means to us. We have a responsibility as ambassadors of snooker in India to take the level of the game to new heights."