Kolkata Open snooker: Aditya beats Saurav for title

Kolkata: After winning the Asian Snooker Championship, India No.1 Aditya Mehta defeated local lad Saurav Kothari 6-2 to win the 1st Kolkata Open Invitation Snooker Championship here Wednesday at the Hindusthan Club.

Mehta did not give any chances to Sourav, son of former world champion Manoj Kothari, in the final match.

Starting with a whopping lead of 2-0 with a break of 82 in the 1st frame and 72 in the 2nd frame, Mehta consistently grabbed opportunities.

When Sourav took the third frame, Mehta comfortably secured himself winning the next two frames to score a 4-1 with breaks of 69 and 81.

By striking a 70 break in the 7th frame, a determined Mehta sealed his victory in the 8th frame with a break of 78.

"It's a great feeling to be winning prestigious tournaments back to back. After qualifying in the World Snooker Championship, winning the Asian title and now the Kolkata victory, I feel closer to my goals," said Mehta.

"The recent weeks have proved to be lucky for me as I am back into the Pro circuit too. It stands to be even more special because I secured my entry into the pro circuit by winning the Asian Title," he said.

Mehta will now be playing at the National Invitation Billiards and Snooker Tournament at Baroda from May 13-20. (IANS)