Karnataka’s Magimairaj clinches 9-ball pool title
Manisha Constructions National Pool Championship underway in Ludhiana
Chitra Magimairaj from Karnataka stamped her authority to clinch the women’s 9-ball title on Thursday during the Manisha Constructions National Pool Championship. The men’s 10-ball event is headed for the last 32 knockout battle.
In the final, Chitra outclassed Ishika Shah (Madhya Pradesh) 7-4, displaying poise and precision. Locked at 5-4 in a tense contest, Chitra shifted gears, pocketing the final two frames with clinical execution.
Both the finalists had dominated their semi-finals. Chitra defeated Natasha Chethan 6-2 and Ishika outwitted Jiya Sehgal 6-3.
The double elimination stage concluded on Thursday during the men’s 10-ball competition.
Shivam Arora (Maharashtra), Harshit Sharma (MP) and Rajesh Kumar (Assam) cruised to commanding 6-0 wins. On the other hand, Adarsh Verma (West Bengal) prevailed over Laksh Sharma (Karnataka) 6-5 in a nail-biter. Gaurav Deshmukh (Maharashtra) held his nerve in a tight all-Maharashtra clash to win 6-5. Punjab’s Gautam Verma and Joy Mehra also impressed with composed victories in close encounters.
Top contenders to advance to the next stage include Pankaj Advani from Petroleum Sports Promotion Board, Nitin Sharma (Chandigarh), Kushal Chandrashekhar (Karnataka), Saqlain Mushtaque (West Bengal) and Shivam Arora (Maharashtra).
Abhinav Dhiman (Chandigarh) secured top seed heading into the knockouts, and last year’s runner-up Anurag Giri (MP) was placed second.
With the field narrowed and stakes rising, the championship now heads into decisive phases, promising intense battles and top-quality action.
