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Arun Agarwal shocks Geet Sethi

Arun Agarwal did the unexpected. The bearded 40-year-old cueist, who is improving with every outing, upset all calculations when he beat world No 2 Geet Sethi, to pull off the biggest upset in the Florisheim World Professional Billiards Championship in today.

Agarwal proved just that bit steadier as he prevailed 1001-999 to earn a semi-final slot in his first international competition.

"I missed too many shots; poor play was at the bottom of it," said Sethi, summing up his shock defeat.

In the other quarter-final of the evening session, Mike Russel outplayed another Indian, world No 7, Nalin Patel before winning 1000-720. The Indian surprisingly turned erratic after starting with a break of 246. He managed another century break, 149, but that was all he could muster against the world No. 1, who had breaks of 99,155, 150,158 and an unfinished 143.

The Sethi-Agarwal match was a see-saw battle with the former holding a slight edge right through. Down 826-943 and 936-977, it looked curtains for Agarwal as Sethi was well on course for his appointed place in the semi-finals. However, the Mumbai cueist, who took to the game only at the age of 27, pulled himself back into the match with a 110 break and an unfinished 53, after Sethi returned after visits of 4 and six to bring up his score of 977, to wrap up with match in a little over four hours.

Earlier, in the other quarter-finals, England's Chris Shutt upset his higher ranked compatriot David Causier 1001- 829, while world No 5 Peter Gilchrist, also of England, defeated his countryman Peter Sheehan, ranked No. 11, 1001-647.

In the semi-finals, which will be contested upto a maximum of 1,500 points - with intervals when either the joint score is 1,500 or one player reaches 1000 points first, Russel will take on Shutt, while Agarwal will play Peter Gilchrist.