Rupesh Shah became only the fifth Indian cueist to lift the world title twice after he beat Australia’s Matthew Bolton 6-2 in the final of the World billiards (point frame) here.
Starting by winning the lag, he won the first game comfortably but in the next game, Bolton levelled the match 1-1 at the Northern Snooker Centre here.
The fifth game was the turning point in this match where Bolton missed a cannon on 148 and Rupesh settled the score 3-2 in his favour.
In the next game, Rupesh made an unfinished break to advance the lead and was cruising along comfortably till the closing moments of the eighth game in which he missed the match winning red-pot.
Bolton made a break of 83 points and went out of position on a score of 105.
The Australian further attempted a short jenny but ended up giving a chance of pot to Rupesh which the Indian converted into his match-winning shot.
Rupesh had earlier defeated big guns like Mike Russell (in quarterfinals), and Peter Gilchrist (in semifinals).
Dethrones Russell
Meanwhile, Pankaj Advani captured his seventh world championship title in billiards (time format), and eighth overall, when he dethroned Mike Russell. Advani won their summit clash 1895-1216.
Earlier, Advani knocked out compatriot Dhruv Sitwala in the semifinal.
Advani made a good start in the first session and with the help of three breaks of 167, 205 and 257 built a lead of 600 points by the session break.
