Ali Carter wants Indian Open cash despite no-show

Ali Carter is a two-time World Championship runner-up

Ali Carter wants his £2,000 prize money from this week's Indian Open - even though he did not fly to Mumbai.

Carter, 35, says he was given incorrect advice from World Snooker about which visa he needed for the trip.

By the time he found out, it was too late to get the right one and he had to withdraw from Tuesday's first-round meeting with Mark Joyce.

"The only reason I wasn't there was because I was given the wrong information," said Carter.

He estimates the cost incurred by attending the tournament qualifiers in Barnsley and a business class flight to Mumbai that had to be cancelled have left him £1,500 out of pocket. Carter would have earned a minimum of £2,000 as a first-round loser.

It has also cost him the chance to gain additional points in what would have been only his third ranking tournament since undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

"World Snooker told me I needed a business visa, which takes one working day to process," said Carter.

"I had some other business to deal with in London last Tuesday, so decided to do it all in one day. It was only when I got to the offices, that I was told I needed a conference visa, which was going to take three days and wouldn't be completed that week due to a public holiday in India.

"To say it is frustrating is an understatement.

"I have missed so much snooker recently due to my treatment, I could do without missing even more for a reason that had nothing to do with me. And that is without mentioning the money it has cost - and the potential ranking points I have missed out on."

Hong Kong's Marco Fu also failed to have his visa processed in time for the tournament on the Indian subcontinent.

World Snooker stated there were a "combination of factors" that led to the visa issues and the governing body also contacted the British High Commission to try to rectify the situation.

In Wednesday's games, top seed Ding Junhui lost in the opening round to wildcard entry Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of Thailand, who held his nerve after falling behind 3-2 to come through 4-3.

Third seed Ricky Walden beat Rory McLeod 4-1, and former world champion John Higgins overcame Jamie Burnett 4-2.