Dhruv Sitwala shocks Pankaj Advani to clinch Asia Billiards title

Dhruv Sitwala beat Pankaj Advani to clinch his first international title at the Asian Billiards Championship.

Burgeoning Mumbai cueist Dhruv Sitwala sprang a surprise at Beijing, where he upset Pankaj Advani to take home the ACBS Asian Billiards Championship, his first ever international crown.

In an event that had as many as three World Champions vying for the title – Advani, C Praprut and Peter Gilchrist – Indian cuesits seemed to be the domineering force. Along with Thailand’s Praprut, India’s Sourav Kothari, who was the defending champion at the event, won the bronze.

Sitwala avenged his 1-5 defeat to Advani in the final of the National Billiards Championship two months ago. Sitwala was in a dominant mood right from the outset of the final, racing to a 3-0 lead in the best of 11 frame final.

But the seasoned Advani fought back to make it 5-1 and then going to win to more frames, never allowing Sitwala to enter the table to take the score to 5-3.

However, the match turned when Advani missed an easy shot in the ninth game when his score read 98, giving Sitwala the opportunity to close out the match. Sitwala was quick to grab the chance that had come his way as he went on to make a 101 unfinished break, thereby ending the match.

To Sitwala, who has finished runner-up at three National and Billiards Championships, the victory at the Asian Billiards Championship is sure to bolster his confidence. Advani wasn’t the first World Champion that Sitwala defeated in the event. In the semi-final, Sitwala beat Praput 5-3.

Sitwala was overjoyed after he beat Advani in the final. "I am on top of the world. The feeling though is yet to sink in. I had lost to Advani in the national billiards final and the memory was haunting me before the title clash," Sitwala said.

The other World Champion in the fray, Peter Gilchrist, lost to Praput in the quarter-final. Defending champion Sourav Kothari, on the other hand, lost to Advani in the semi-final.