Tamil Nadu’s L Shruthi clinched the junior girls’ 9-ball pool title, defeating defending champion Natasha Chethan 6-4 in Ludhiana. In the boys’ final, Maharashtra’s Aarav Sancheti outplayed Laksh Sharma 7-3 to secure the crown, continuing his strong run this season.

Ludhiana (Punjab), April 1: Tamil Nadu’s L Shruthi weathered a mid-match fightback from Natasha Chethan of Karnataka en route to her maiden junior girls’ 9-ball pool National title here late on Tuesday evening.

The Coimbatore girl scored a 6-4 victory over the reigning champion in the final on her debut. This was the 18-year-old cueist’s second National crown in as many months. She won the junior snooker title in January.

Comeback and clinching moments

One of the most improved players on the circuit now, Shruthi jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the race-to-6 affair. However, Natasha fought back in fine fashion, winning four racks in a row to take a 4-3 lead.