In the final of the 74th Senior Nationals, the 22-year-old Bangalorean carried far too many guns for the burly Railway cueist, scoring a comprehensive 1325-854 victory in the four-hour clash.
Having dethroned champion Geet Sethi the previous evening, Advani was confidence personified against Shandilya. The world champion set the tone with a century break on his second visit. He made the most of the chances that came his way to have the Railway player on the back foot. Making the 80s and 90s with regularity, Advani maintained the lead right through. Having opened up a 300-point lead at the halfway stage, the Bangalorean swelled it to 700 at one stage. Shandilya reduced the margin with a break of 115 but to no avail.
Results: Final: Pankaj Advani (PSPB): 1325 (199, 117) bt Ashok Shandilya (Rlys): 853 (115).
Third-place play-off: Geet Sethi (Guj): 692 (119) bt Rupesh Shah: 674 (124, 137).