The long wait has finally ended for Lucky Vatnani, as he won the national-level Pro Ranking Snooker Series in Ahmedabad, the first from Andhra Pradesh or Telangana to win such a title.
And, he did that in style too. Rated one of the best Indian talents in cue sports, Lucky beat top-ranked Amal Chawla in the semi-final and then Asian bronze medallist Brijesh Damani in the final even as he recorded the tournament’s highest break of 120.
The significance of the victory could well be guessed by the fact that multiple-time world champion Pankaj Advani was the winner of the Delhi edition of the four-event national series. “The four series points will be added and the final 32 cueists will compete in the grand finale to be held in Mumbai this June. For this, I’ve earned enough points already by winning this title,” the 29-year-old told The Hindu .
“I think all the years of being based at Star Snooker Academy in Sheffield, UK, has helped me play the game in the correct format, and the exposure of the UK’s professional circuit has done a world of good to my break building,” the immensely talented Vatnani pointed out.
“Since coming back to India, I have focussed on a variety of things, other than just practice: meditation and diet, which I think is helping me build my mental fitness to play well in such big events,” he says.
