Ludhiana (Punjab): Celebrated cueist Pankaj Advani continued his dream run in his maiden pool National Championships, powering into the men’s 9-ball pool final with an authoritative win in the semifinals here on Monday.
Dominant semi-final performance
The PSPB pro hardly put a foot wrong in his 11-5 demolition of Karnataka’s Kushal Chandrashekar, who finished fifth in the previous edition three years ago. In the title clash on Tuesday, the 40-year-old Advani takes on Chandigarh’s Nitin Sharma, who edged out S Shrikrishna 11-10 in the other semifinal.
Known for his brilliant safety and surefire potting, Advani had his rival on a tight leash from the get-go. Capitalising on his rival’s largesse, he was off the blocks in a jiffy, jumping to a 4-0 lead in the race-to-11 clash.
Kushal’s brief fightback
A rare error from Advani gave Kushal a look-in in the fifth rack. The multiple-time World champion in snooker and billiards snookered himself after taking 4 to the bottom right-hand pocket. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Kushal pulled one back.
Kushal then rode his luck in the sixth rack following Advani's dry break. He made it a rack and run (read cleared the table) after a fluke double of 1 to the top right-hand pocket. He very nearly got another fluke in the seventh rack, but Advani, playing more like a seasoned pool professional, cleared the table to go up 5-2.
Advani seals victory in style
Advani showed his pool skill set by keeping the racks short, potting 9 off 2 in the 11th rack and 9 off 7 in the 12th. Kushal may have been a trifle off-colour on the day, but the green baize baron was on top of his game, wrapping up the match in double quick time.
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Nitin edges thriller to reach final
In the other semifinal, locked 10-10, Nitin made it a start-to-finish affair with his break. After potting 1 and 3 with his break, the Chandigarh pro made it a break and run to set up a mouth-watering meeting with Advani.
Results
Results: Men (semifinals): Pankaj Advani (PSPB) bt Kushal Chandrashekar (Kar) 11-5; Nitin Sharma (Chd) bt S Shrikrishna (PSPB) 11-10.
