Mumbai
Ace cueist Pankaj Advani, representing ONGC, continued his reign in cue sports by securing the Senior Snooker title at the Khar Gymkhana Western India Billiards and Snooker Championships 2024. Advani, who already boasts 27 World titles, demonstrated his unwavering focus and skill in a grueling seven-hour final, overcoming Kamal Chawla of Railways with a 6-4 victory on Sunday night at the Khar Gymkhana Billiards Hall.
The final frame scores stood at 11-72, 31-58, 95-40, 52-42, 69-43, 43-74, 22-59, 75-62, 84-58, and 58-10 in Advani’s favor, highlighting his resilience in a match that tested both players’ endurance.
Earlier in the day, the Bengaluru-based Advani had clinched the billiards title, defeating S. Shrikrishna in a three-hour session. This victory marked Advani’s seventh consecutive title in Mumbai, spanning both snooker and billiards events over the past two years.
However, the final wasn’t a spectacle of high-quality snooker as both Advani and Chawla adopted a cautious approach, leading to fewer substantial breaks and extended frames. Advani managed two significant breaks of 69 in the third frame and 55 in the eighth, while Chawla made breaks of 51 and 38 in the first two frames, followed by efforts of 61 and 40 in the sixth and eighth frames, respectively.
In the semifinals, Chawla defeated S. Shrikrishna 5-2, while Advani secured a 5-1 victory over Faisal Khan, setting up the final showdown.
BOX
Final: Pankaj Advani (ONGC) bt Kamal Chawla (Rlys) 6-4 (11-72(51), 31-58(38), 95(69)-40), 52-42, 69-43, 43-74(61), 22-59, 75(55)-62(40), 84-58, 58-10).
Semifinals: Kamal Chawla (Rlys) bt S. Shrikrishna (BPCL) 5-2 (119(58)-18, 41-46, 51-60, 82-39, 73(54)-0, 86(86)-20, 62-40); Pankaj Advani (ONGC) bt Faisal Khan (Rlys) 5-1 (131(115)-0, 85(53)-43, 82-53, 58-41, 59-83, 70-35).
