(Credit: Michelle Cohen – Keerath Bhandaal and Shruthi L before the Women’s Championship final, with referee Keith Savage)
India’s Shruthi L defeated her compatriot Keerath Bhandaal 215-202 to win the Women’s World Billiards Championship title for the first time in her career.
She arrived at the Landywood Snooker Club as the lowest ranked of the seven competitors, who represented five different nations, but a stunning performance from the teenage cueist saw her win five consecutive matches to take home the title.
The one-day event began with a group stage and Shruthi L defeated former champion Anna Lynch, eventual finalist Bhandaal and Scotland’s Michelle Cohen to reach the semi-finals.
A 276-148 victory over Sweden’s Eva Palmius saw Shruthi L set up an all-Indian title match against Bhandaal.
Shruthi L had defeated Bhandaal by just 18 points in the group stages, and the final proved to be an even tighter affair as the teenager ran out a winner by 13 points to become the world champion for the first time.
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