Pankaj Advani fights back to seal hat-trick of CCI snooker crown
Pankaj Advani fights back to seal hat-trick of CCI snooker crown
Star cueist Pankaj Advani pulled off a stunning comeback to complete a hat-trick of titles at the Rs 13.5 lakh CCI Snooker classic tournament with a 8-6 win over Ishpreet Chadha in the best-of-15-frame final here.
Advani, the reigning National and Asian snooker champion, triumphed 15-57, 26-101, 18-75, 100-25, 36-93, 118-0, 59-68, 45-77, 64-47, 93-72, 70 -60, 75-32, 73-32, 75-47 in a hard-fought final played over three gruelling sessions late Sunday night.
In a high-octane summit clash at the CCI Club, Chadha, who is currently competing on the World Snooker Tour (WST), was in complete control right from the start.
His confident potting saw him race to a 4-1 lead. Needing eight frames for victory, Chadha was already halfway there. He looked poised to claim the prestigious title.
Advani, uncharacteristically struggling to find his rhythm, faced an uphill battle. However, he slowly clawed his way back into the match.
The shift in momentum was palpable as Chadha, who had been near-flawless in the opening stages, began to feel the heat. Advani’s precision and composure took center stage.
With six consecutive frame wins, the 28-time world champion completed an astonishing turnaround to seal the title — his third in a row at CCI.
From a 2-6 deficit, he turned the contest on its head.
Advani will now look to defend his World Billiards Championship title in Ireland next month. Chadha, on the other hand, heads to the UK to resume his WST season.
