JOIN USAditya clinches crown
In a one-sided final, Mehta, the lone Indian on the professional circuit, was the steadier of the two as he took a 5-0 lead at the end of the first session while the Kolkata-based Kothari, who had beaten National champion Pankaj Advani in the semifinals last night, failed to touch top form. Kothari received a runner-up cheque for Rs.90,000.
The first session was a virtual washout as Mehta opened up a 5-0 lead with some consistent play. He opened with a 103 break, his second in the tournament, with the help of nine blacks, five blues and a pink before missing on the last red.
Thereafter, Mehta went on to dominate by posting 52 and 44 punishing Kothari each time he bungled.
Mehta took the fifth frame on breaks of 23 and 37 as Kothari all but faded from the contest.
Upon resumption after a two-hour break, Mehta raced to 6-0 following a break of 72 and looked certain to close out the match.
However, Kothari refused to yield ground without a fight and took the seventh aided by a run of 48. Kothari crafted a 37 to which Mehta replied with 55 to set up a keen battle for the colours.
Kothari eventually sank followed by other colours to make it 2-6. Mehta started the ninth frame with a break of 55 but committed a foul, however, held on to win the match.
Results: Final: Aditya Mehta (PSPB) bt Sourav Kothari (PSPB) 7-3 (103 (103)-00, 72 (52)-18, 65-44, 53 (44)-29, 74-0, 97 (72)-09, 41-76 (48), 64 (55)-69, 30-76, 68 (42)-29).