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Kothari is now only the third Indian to have won both the IBSF and the WBL World Billiards titles.
World Billiards Champion Sourav Kothari (IBSF Media)
The cue sports world witnessed an unforgettable clash between two of India’s finest — Sourav Kothari and Pankaj Advani — for the coveted title at the Snooker and Billiards Ireland (SBI) in April.
When all was said and done, it was the 40-year-old Kothari who emerged champion, scoring 725 points to Advani’s 480.
This victory marked a historic first IBSF world title (timed format) for Kothari, 35 years after his father and billiards legend Manoj Kothari — his coach — won it in 1990 in Bangalore. And with it, they became “the only father and son duo in any sport to be world champions in the modern era.”
“Honestly, it hasn’t sunk in. Primarily because, usually when I come back from a tournament, especially one that I have won, I like to see the videos of my performance. Sometimes at night, when I come back to my room, I like to watch these videos – just to get a sense of what I have done,” Sourav stated in an interview with FirstPost.
The 39-year-old Advani displayed flashes of brilliance with impressive breaks of 129, 116, and 112. However, the massive break of 325 in the first half hour of the match by Kothari saw Advani always playing catch up.
In the final hour of the 3-hour final, the drama intensified as Advani had narrowed the lead to less than 50 points, but Kothari displayed composure under trying circumstances and managed to hold on to his nerves, keeping his score-board ticking.
Kothari ultimately raced away to a 200-point lead with not enough time remaining on the clock for Advani.
“Against Pankaj in the final, a 325-point break on the second or third visit to the table. What that does is, it breaks the back of your opponent. You can make the small contributions – 50 points, 100 points, a miss, but even before you settle into the match, you are down by 500 points. The way I managed to start against both these players, in the semis and the final, honestly that hasn’t sunk in yet,” Sourav recalled.
The field in this year’s IBSF World Billiards was the strongest in many years with every single top player of the world, including the likes of former world champions Peter Gilchrist of Singapore and Rob Hall, David Causier, Peter Sheehan of England were joined by the top-ranked players of India, Ireland and Scotland.
“If someone told me before the tournament that I would be beating the likes of David Causier and Pankaj Advani, the way I did, I wouldn’t have believed them,” Sourav stated.
Kothari is now only the third Indian to have won both the IBSF and the WBL World Billiards titles.
“We (Indians) don’t play so much billiards. We play more snooker, here in India, in the domestic circuit. Even internationally, we compete in many more snooker events than billiards events. So, it’s incredible to have been able to do this,” Sourav exclaimed proudly.
(with agency inputs)
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