Dhruv Sitwala wins all-Indian final to lift Asian Billiards title
Image Courtesy: © Twitter - The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India
Defending champion Dhruv Sitwala defeated fellow countryman Bhaskar Balachandra 6-2 to win the 15th ACBS Billiards Championship on Tuesday at Colombo. Balachandra had a dream run in the tournament defeating Pankaj Advani and Peter Gilchrist in the earlier rounds but ran out of steam in the final.
Mumbai cueist Dhruv Sitwala, who had defeated five-time Asian Billiards champion Pankaj Advani in the last edition, successfully defended his title this time around with a comfortable win over fellow Indian Bhaskar Balachandra. Balachandra, who had entered the final after registering upset victories over Pankaj Advani and Peter Gilchrist in the earlier rounds, found a tough opponent in Sitwala in the final.
Sitwala made a brilliant start to the match by winning the first frame 100-0 and pocketed the second game 100-5 to take a 2-0 lead in the all-important final. Balachandra mounted a comeback in the third frame by winning it 101-0, but Sitwala continued his dominance by winning the next frame 101-14.
With the scores at 3-1 in the best of 11 final, Balachandra once again struck back by claiming the fifth frame 101-76. But it proved to be the last win for Balachandra in the match as Sitwala raced ahead and took the next three frames (101-12, 105-0, 102-0) to defend the Asian Billiards title.
