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Pankaj Advani claims 29th world title in Birmingham

The 41-year-old Indian cueist beat Rob Hall in the WBL World Billiards Championship final.

By , Sports news desk

· 2 min read

Pankaj Advani
Pankaj Advani (file photo) Photo: Benutzer:Bill da Flute / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Pankaj Advani won his 29th career world title by defeating Rob Hall of England 1906-1206 in Birmingham. He will next prepare for the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Indore.

Key takeaways

  • Pankaj Advani won his 29th world title at the WBL World Billiards Championship in Birmingham.
  • He beat Rob Hall of England 1906-1206 in a five-hour final.
  • Advani made a championship-high 587 break during the match.
  • He had earlier beaten Sourav Kothari and David Causier to reach the final.
  • He will now prepare for the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Indore in mid-November.

Pankaj Advani has won his 29th career world title by claiming the WBL World Billiards Championship in Birmingham. The 41-year-old Indian cueist defeated Rob Hall of England 1906-1206 in a final played over five hours. Advani was the only Indian in the last-four stage before coming out on top. The summit match was of high significance to both Advani and Hall, as Advani sought to extend his unparalleled record of world titles in cue sports while Hall aimed to win his maiden world title after reaching the final five times previously without success.

Final match details

The final began with Advani scoring a 91 break. Hall took the lead with an impressive 203 run. Close to the two-hour mark, the finalists were almost equally positioned on the scoreboard after Advani scored another century to take the lead. For the next 30 minutes, Hall played high quality billiards to amass a 331 break and surge ahead of Advani by over 300 points. With under two hours to go, Advani was trailing as the difference kept climbing. At 697-1014, with 115 minutes left on the clock, Hall was poised for his maiden world title. However, Advani responded with a fluent 210 break, cutting down Hall's lead to 100 points. Advani was immediately brought back to the table as his opponent missed a regulation shot. Advani then crafted the most memorable break of the championship, a mammoth 587-break, which was the highest of the world championship this year. It sealed the fate of his opponent while ensuring that Advani's name was engraved on the coveted trophy.

Reaction and earlier rounds

"The second session of the final was billiards from the gods," Hall said during the prize ceremony, referring to Advani's extraordinary comeback and marvellous display of the three-ball game. Advani said Hall was a fine player and his maiden title was around the corner. The world championship fielded the toughest players from all over the world. Michael Ferreira was the only one not present as he has long retired from competitive billiards. Advani defeated compatriot Sourav Kothari 1134-575 in the three-hour quarterfinal earlier and got the better of in-form David Causier 1607-1271 in the last-four stage.

What happens next

Advani will now be switching sports and start preparing for the IBSF World Snooker Championship that will be held in Indore mid-November.

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