All posts tagged: cue sports

Victorious and hungry for more

Victorious and hungry for more

Published by Webster

February has been a busy month for Pankaj Advani. At Indore, he secured two national titles: his 36th title in Billiards and a 10th in Snooker. He then landed in Bengaluru, only to find that the airline had misplaced his coveted cue, a mere two days before his scheduled departure to Doha for the Asian Snooker Championships. Undeterred, he got to Qatar, swept the competition and pocketed his third Asian Snooker title, all while sporting his trademark smile. Having been on the competition circuit for over two decades and after having won innumerable titles, this writer couldn’t resist the temptation of asking how many of those triumphs he still recalled. Advani is quick to reply – “Every single one of them.” Keeping the flag flying Having last won the Asian Snooker Championships in 2021, Advani is understandably elated. “It feels great to lift an international title for India,” he tells The Bridge via telephone. Representing the country has always been paramount for the Bengaluru-based professional. So much so that when a fan on social media …

Pankaj Advani wins the title for the third time

Pankaj Advani wins the title for the third time

Published by Webster

Indian cueist Pankaj Advani clinches the 2025 Asian Snooker Championship for the third time in his career on Wednesday in Qatar. Facing Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh in the final, Pankaj won convincingly, the scoreline reading 4-1. After winning the National Snooker title last week against Brijesh Damani, he booked his spot for the Asian Snookers, where he eventually triumphed. In the round of 16, he faced Brijesh Damani, and in a rematch of the national finals, Pankaj once again got the better of his fellow countryman, defeating him 4-3. Siyavosh Mozayani was up next in the quarter-finals, and Pankaj was able to get past him with relative ease, once again winning by 4-1, and entering the final four. In the semifinals, Hong Kong’s Chang Yu Kiu stood in his face, and after a 4-2 win, he entered the finals, where he took home the title. This is his fourteenth Asian title across all billiards sports disciplines, an impressive achievement by the 39-year-old cueist. The latest triumph is another feather in what has been a remarkable career …

Pankaj Advani clinches 36th national snooker title

Pankaj Advani clinches 36th national snooker title

Published by Webster

Pankaj Advani continued his reign in Indian cue sports, securing his 36th national title and 10th men’s snooker crown with a commanding 5-1 victory over Brijesh Damani in the final at the Yashwant Club in Madhya Pradesh. The triumph also guarantees a place for the stalwart at the upcoming Asian and World Championships. High stakes Despite dropping the opening frame, Advani responded brilliantly. He controlled the table from thereon, leaving Damani with no room for a comeback. Sealing the win in style, he registered a decisive 84 break in the final frame. “Since this is the only event that determines the representatives of the country for international tournaments, the stakes were high,” Advani said. The victory was particularly special as it avenged his group-stage defeat to Damani, where he had managed to win only one frame. Comeback and domination The tables turned in the final as Advani dropped just a single frame on his way to the title. A defining moment in his campaign came in the round of 48, where he found himself on …

Pankaj Advani wins his 18th Billiards World Title

Pankaj Advani wins his 18th Billiards World Title

Published by Webster

Pankaj Advani, the marquee Indian cueist, clinched his 18th World Billiards Title at the 2024 IBSF 150-up Billiards Championships in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. He claimed the title with a 4-2 victory against Robert Hall of England in the final. This was his seventh successive title at the 150-Up format of the IBSF Billiards Championship. Pankaj started the match in a dominating fashion and won the first three frames of the match (151-94, 151-0, 150-84). However, then Hall won two consecutive frames to Hall (151-74, 151-6) to keep his hopes alive in the match. The 39-year-old Indian came back strong in the sixth frame, winning it comfortably with a margin of 152-46 to confirm his victory in the tournament. With this, he is now a 28-time International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World champion with 18 Billiards titles, one World Team Billiards title, and 9 titles across Various snooker competitions. Earlier, another Indian player Sourav Kothari settled with the bronze medal in the 150-up competition after losing his semi-final match (2-4) to Pankaj. On the …

Sourav Kothari advances to the quarterfinals

Sourav Kothari advances to the quarterfinals

Published by Webster

India’s Sourav Kothari advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing IBSF World Men’s Snooker Championship, in Doha on Monday. Facing the English-born Darryl Hill, the Indian cueist managed to win 4-3 after an enthralling round of 16 contest. While four Indians entered the fray, Kothari – who is still in contention – is the only one to have made it out of the group stage. Sourav Kothari from India secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory against Darryl Hill of the Isle of Man, earning his place in the Quarter Finals of the 2024 IBSF World Men’s Snooker Championship. pic.twitter.com/lYLJpMla6C — IBSF (@ibsf) November 4, 2024 Kothari on song Kothari was put in a group consisting of Michael Georgiou from Cyprus, USA’s Ajeya Prabhakar and Hong Kong’s Fung Kwok Wai. He topped his group and as a result of it, received a bye in the round of 32 and advanced straight to the round of 16, where he was up against Darryl Hill. The 39 year old cueist is arguably India’s finest in this sport, having won …