Yangon (Myanmar), November 15: India's golden boy Pankaj Advani beat host nation's Nay Thway Oo 6-2 in the final to defend the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) world billiards title.
In the 150-up points format final, the Bengaluru boy was in a class of his own in the tournament held at Yangon's Grand Mercure Centre.
The trophies keep coming for Advani and for the records, it was his 20th world title across all formats of cue sports and it comes just two weeks after his triumph in the Asian Snooker Tour's second leg in Jinan, China.
Pankaj Advani wins the World #Billiards Championship 2018 (150Up). In final he defeated Nay Thway Oo from host nation Myanmar 6-2.
— IBSF (@ibsf) November 15, 2018
This is his 20th World title of his career in cuesports. pic.twitter.com/898nq5GURB
The 33-year-old played flawless right throughout the tournament and the final was no different as the frame scores of 150-21, 0-151, 151-0, 4-151, 151-11, 150-81, 151-109, 151-0 indicates.
Congratulations to @PankajAdvani247 for winning the World Billiards Championship and making his world title tally to 20.
— Cue Sports India 🇮🇳 (@cuesportsindia) November 15, 2018
Superb performance champion 👌👏👏🥇
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 https://t.co/u5PUDmd9Jj
He started with game winning break of 108 in the opening frame. Nay Thway returned the compliment with a break of 147 to restore parity and the plot was the same in the next two frames with each of them sharing the spoils.
Aided by a big break of 147, Advani won the fifth frame rather easily which gave him a 3-2 lead. Though Nay Thway fought back in the sixth and seventh frames, Advani rallied with breaks of 129, 145 and had an unfinished break of 151 in the eighth to secure to settle things in his favour.
Earlier in the semifinal, Advani knocked out former world champion David Causier 5-0 (who himself had beaten two former champions -- India's Rupesh Shah in quarters and Thailand's Praput Chaithanasukan in thr ound of 16) while Nay Thway had defeated multiple world champion Mike Russell 5-2.
Pankaj Advani of India to play FINAL of World Billiards 2018 (short format 150Up) against Nay Thway Oo of Myanmar https://t.co/pg2gcKxrPO
— IBSF (@ibsf) November 14, 2018
Advani now has a chance to bag a grand double this week in Yangon as the IBSF World Championship (long format) tournament got under way. The final is scheduled to be held on Sunday (November 18).