Pankaj Advani wins 11th Asian Billiards Championship

Six-time world champion Pankaj Advani on Sunday defeated Thawat Sujaritthurakarn of Thailand to emerge victorious at the 11th ONGC Asian Billiards championship.

Although Pankaj was the one who started the proceedings on a positive note by winning the opening game, it was Thawat who actually impressed in the initial stages of the match played at the Clube Tennis De Gaspar Dias Miramar by taking the second and third games and securing a 2-1 lead.

Having won the second game, Thawat showed that not only is he a very capable player but also has an intelligent head over his shoulders.

Employing a credible strategy to keep Pankaj away from the table for as long as he could, Thawat played the 'white in-off' method of scoring repeatedly and double baulked whenever the opportunity came his way.

Under a little pressure as he was trailing 1-2, 26-year-old Pankaj compiled an unbeaten century break to take the fourth game and restore parity at 2-2.

Pankaj notched up a 73 break to win the fifth game leaving Thawat stranded once again at 0.

Showing no remorse, Pankaj just went about his job of scoring in a fluent manner with clinical efficiency to record another unbeaten century break on way to pocketing the sixth game.

Totally subdued, Thawat could not take any advantage whatsoever of a possible one-cushion regulation cannon, which was very much required, even to have a semblance of a chance to make a comeback after Pankaj had begun the seventh game.

Advani, in trying to score a cannon, got a yellow pot instead. Following on the stroke, he promptly double-baulked. This ploy enabled Advani to notch up a break of 98 and stretch the lead to 5-2.

However, Thawat fought back compiling a century break to get one back, to trail by 3-5, but that was the only distance he could cover.

Advani stamped his authority on the rather one-sided match with a splendid century break in the ninth game to win the match and championship title with consummate ease.

Final tally: (English Billiard)(101(101)-28, 00-100(100), 28-100, 100(100)-00, 101(73)-00, 100(100)-00, 100(98)-00, 11-100(100), 101(101)-00.