Advani Reigns Supreme
Pankaj Advani defeated Robert Hall 1,906-1,206 to win the World Billiards Championship title for the first time since 2014.
The 41-year-old from India had earlier ended the unbeaten streak of David Causier, a run which stretched back to the 2023 final, before beating Hall at the Landywood Snooker Club in Walsall, England to regain the most prestigious title in World Billiards.
An outstanding line-up embarked on the Staffordshire venue with the 60-player field including six former world champions and all of the world’s top 10 players.
Advani, who last won the title 12 years earlier when he also defeated Hall in the final, advanced to the knockout stages by topping the group phase with a clean sweep of victories.
His run was almost ended in the last 16 by Northern Ireland’s Christian Kirk, who scored a top break of 200 in their 150-minute match but ultimately lost out by just 15 points.
A much more comfortable 1,134-575 defeat of compatriot Sourav Kothari saw Advani set up a semi-final meeting with defending champion Causier – who had not been defeated in the World Billiards Championship since losing out to Peter Gilchrist in the 2023 final.
Advani began the highly anticipated contest strongly with a break of 285 in the early stages and this ultimately proved to be pivotal as he earned a 1,607-1,271 win to end the title reign of Causier.
England’s Hall had reached his second World Billiards Championship final in three years by last overcoming former champion Gilchrist 1,029-887 in the last four.
The Englishman was aiming to win his maiden world crown and was in the ascendancy as he moved into a 773-667 lead at the halfway stage of the five-hour final.
Ninety minutes later, however, Advani was heading into the final hour of the title match with a lead of more than 350-points and he did not let this advantage slip as he completed a 1,906-1,206 victory to regain the World Billiards Championship title.
Shruthi L Completes World Title Hat-Trick
Shruthi L beat Eva Palmius 414-153 to win the Women’s World Billiards Championship for a third consecutive year.
The 19-year-old, from India, won through a field of five players on Wednesday to successfully retain her title at the Landywood Snooker Club in Walsall, England.
A round robin group stage began the one-day competition and Shruthi L advanced to the title match with a clean sweep of victories over Palmius, from Sweden, the Scottish duo of Michelle Cohen and Mhairi McKay and Wales’ Gaye Jones.
The defending champion had scored her highest break of the group stages, an 89, against fellow finalist Palmius and Shruthi L once again found her scoring form in the final as contributions of 82, 57 and a magnificent 105 saw the Indian retain her title.