India's most celebrated cueist Pankaj Advani clinched the World Billiards Championship (time format) title to bag a record 12th world crown and also complete a rare 'Grand Double' post his third win in both the long and short formats in the same year.
Bangalore's 'Golden Boy' set the green baize on fire as he humbled England's rising star Robert Hall 1928-893 in a one-sided contest to hand his mother, Kajal, a perfect birthday gift on Wednesday. He had won the 150-up format last week after defeating Peter Gilchrist.
Hall, who got past Advani's citymate Balachandra Bhaskar in the semi-finals, could not stand up to the Indian ace and the Englishman's maiden final appearance ended on a disappointing note.
But it was all smiles for Advani, whose third grand double makes him the only billiards player to achieve this feat. Advani, 29, surpassed Mike Russell, who had won the double in 2010 and 2011.
Advani's previous grand doubles were in Malta in 2005 and in his hometown in 2008.
Saving his best for the last, which is often synonymous with Advani, he led 746-485 with the help of a 185 break in the first session of the five-hour final.
Upon resumption, the Indian ace fired in breaks of 94,182, 289 and 145, adding a whopping 1000 points in under two hours. Advani then went into overdrive making the match a foregone conclusion with over an hour left.
On how he was able to turn things around in the second session, Advani said, "With a 260 lead in the first half, I knew I had things under control. But Hall has the ability to come back so I decided that I was going to score as much as possible on each visit. I spoke with my brother Shree who was following the match online. A couple of tips from him did the trick too."
When asked about the multiple records, a thrilled Advani said, "I don't know what to say. The way I feel makes words seem incapable of truly depicting it. I worked really hard on my game and fitness, both physical and mental before coming here (to leeds) and it definitely paid off.
"I'm on my way to Sheffield today to get billiards out of my system and switch to snooker in order to prepare for the IBSF World Snooker Championship happening next month in Bengaluru."
On winning his 12th world title on his mother's birthday, he said, "This win is truly special. Apart from the dozen world titles and the third grand double, the main reason for it being so special is because it was won on my mother's birthday. She is my rock. Happy birthday Mom! Hope you like your present."
Advani still work in PRogress: SETHI
Pankaj Advani, when still in teens and yet to make his mark, had nursed a wish that his name becomes synonymous with cue sport, much like his idol Geet Sethi's. Just over a decade later, the Bangalorean has more than fulfilled that wish.
Advani has thus far won 10 individual World titles besides the World team billiards crown, two Asian Games (2006, 2010) gold medals in billiards, five Asian billiards titles besides 24 National championships in both junior and senior categories.
Yet, for all his achievements, Advani is still "a work in progress" and that he has another 20 years of top-flight billiards in him, feels Sethi who himself won nine World titles before retiring from the sport last year and taking up golf that he plays to 18 handicap.
"Yes, Pankaj is very much a work in progress and it is a frightening thought for his opponents! I feel that a billiards player reaches his peak between 30 to 35 years of age and hence I believe that we are still to see the best of Pankaj," the 53-year old Sethi said.
"I started billiards when I was 13 and I think Pankaj was nine or 10 when he took to the sport. So, he has been playing the game for nearly 20 years now and he can continue to play until he is 45 or 50, provided he is able to sustain the hunger and desire.
"As you grow older, the blinkers start coming off and you begin to see the world outside of sport. Marriage and family tend to dilute the intensity. But at the moment, I would say that his best is still to come," he said.
Sethi said he was anything but surprised that Advani won a double in leeds, given the form he was in and also the opposition he faced.
"I was not surprised at all that Pankaj won a double in leeds. He was in top form, having won a couple of titles earlier this year. So, obviously, his confidence was on a high going into the World championship," Sethi said.
Advani, who won his first tournament when only 11, has developed and evolved into a top quality player in the past decade and his greatest asset is his mind, opined Sethi who also predicted that the Bangalorean will win at least 20-plus World titles.
"Pankaj is a winner. In terms of his game, he is the most mature 18-year old billiards player I have ever seen. You know, this sport is all about nuances and subtleties and Pankaj has a sharp mind at the table and it is phenomenal. He simply crushes the opponent.
"looking at the current scenario, there are only two or three players who can challenge Pankaj. (Mike) Russell (multiple World champion) is one of them if he is allowed to play, but he has a couple of years in him. Then there is (David) Causier, but he too is ageing and so is (Peter) Gilchrist. "Then there is (Sourav) Kothari who has the skills and game to challenge Pankaj, but needs to back them up with a strong mind.
"So, I would say that Pankaj will win at least 20 to 25 World titles by 2020. But like I said, a lot will depend on his ability to sustain the desire after playing for so many years and achieving so much," said Sethi.