Doha, March 19 : The 24-time world champion, India’s ace cueist Pankaj Advani on Saturday lifted his eighth Asian Billiards title here in Qatar. With this win, he has 12 Asian titles overall across Billiards and Snooker. In the final, Pankaj defeated his compatriot Dhruv Sitwala by 6-2 in a repeat of the Indian National final where both played in the final for the title and Pankaj that time too won 5-2 against his close friend Dhruv. Former World Champion Praput Chaithanasukan from Thailand and Pauk Sa of Myanmar claimed bronze medals. After the victory, Pankaj said, “It is great to continue winning momentum in Billiards by following the national title up with this victory. It’s of course an unparalleled feeling to grab the National Billiards Title and the Asian Billiards Title in the same year, I have done that in the past. “The Asian Billiards Championship being played over such a short format makes it very unpredictable and you don’t really know who’s going to win. “Although, my initial performance in the Asian Snooker Championship could have been better but I am happy to end this international stint with a gold medal for India.” In the Asian Snooker Championship, Pankaj was ousted in the pre-quartefinal after losing 3-4 to Amir Sarkhosh of Iran. BAV JNA