Dhruv Sitwala Completes Auckland Double
Dhruv Sitwala secured back-to-back World Billiards ranking event titles by defeating Peter Gilchrist 1,059-610 in the final of the 2024 Barton McGill New Zealand Open.
The event, staged at the Papatoetoe Cosmopolitan Club in Auckland, followed immediately on from the 2024 Auckland Open which was also won by India’s Sitwala as he overcame the reigning world champion in both finals.
Seventeen cueists competed in the Barton McGill New Zealand Open, won last year by Gilchrist, and the eventual champion stormed through the initial group phase with a clean sweep of victories over Terry Azor, Alex Puan, Mark Taylor and Ray Mears.
Victories over Englishmen Steven Allen and Ryan Mears saw Sitwala follow up his maiden ranking event win earlier in the week with another final against Singapore’s Gilchrist.
Gilchrist had romped through the group stages, compiling the tournament high break of 340 during this phase, before overcoming fellow countryman Puan and Australia’s Steve Mifsud to set up a final meeting with Sitwala.
The three-hour final was dominated by the in-form Sitwala who compiled a trio of century breaks, including a 336, to complete a memorable double in Auckland.
