Pankaj Advani is billiards world champion

Pankaj Advani on Monday became only the second Indian to win the World Professional Billiards Championship when he beat defending and nine times champion Mike Russell 2030-1253 in the final in Leeds, England.

Pankaj Advani on Monday became only the second Indian to win the World Professional Billiards Championship when he beat defending and nine times champion Mike Russell 2030-1253 in the final in Leeds, England.

HT Image

The 24-year-old Bangalore-based Advani made a break of 226 and six more centuries in the final against Russell, who represents Qatar.

“To have beaten Russell was most satisfying,” he later said.

Advani joined Geet Sethi as the second Indian to win both the world professional and the International Billiards and Snooker Federation’s world billiards titles.

Sethi won the professional billiards titles in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998 and 2006, and three amateur world titles in 1985, 1987, 2001.

Advani has also won the world amateur snooker title (2003).