07-Sep-2009 93
Pankaj Advani became the second Indian, after Geet Sethi to win the World Professional Billiards Championship at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds (England) yesterday night.
The 24-year-old Bangalore cueist pulled off a huge surprise by defeating nine-time winner Mike Russell of Qatar 2030-1253 after having a 800-plus lead at the break. Advani made a break of 226 and six more centuries on his way to lift his first professional billiards world title.
He has already won the amateurs world billiards and snooker championships. Geet Sethi was the last Indian to win in 2006, his first being in 1992. Russell had defeated Indian Rupesh Shah in the semifinal 1366-880, while Advani beat compatriot Dhruv Sitwala 1037-972.
