Defending champion Anuja Thakur of Mumbai was given an early scare before overcoming teammate Neeta Sanghvi 2-1, in the seventh Bombay Gymkhana All India Ladies Open Snooker Tournament 2004, sponsored by CYGNUS, on Monday.
The tournament was inaugurated by six-time former world billiards champion Geet Sethi.
Thakur got off to a good start by winning the first frame comfortably, but Sanghvi came back to win a close second and force the decider. Thakur, the national billiards champion and playing member of Bombay Gymkhana, then found her rhythm in the third and final frame to romp home a 73-1, 53-60, 63-13 winner.
Anuja's sister Meenal Thakur was earlier shocked by Karnataka's Chitra Magimairaj 46-8, 21-71, 66-31 in one of the closest contests of the day.
After the setback of the first frame, Meenal struck form to register a break of 32 in the second to take the tie into the decider. But the balls rolled in Chitra's favour in the third frame in which Meenal ran her close.
The tournament includes a group-wise round-robin, which will be followed by the knockout that will commence from the quarter-final stage.
Earlier, Sethi and two-time Asian Snooker champion and Asian Games gold medallist Yasin Merchant held an exclusive clinic with the 31 players featuring in the tournament.
Results: Chitra Magimairaj (Karnataka) bt Meenal Thakur (Mumbai) 46-8, 21-71, 66-31; R. Umadevi (Karnataka) bt Sonal Mamoowala (Mumbai) 58-23, 60-2; Anuja Thakur (Mumbai) bt Neeta Sanghvi (Mumbai) 73-1, 53-60, 63-13; Vidya Pillai (TN) bt Sangeeta Hemchand (Mumbai) 75-1, 68-28; Ashwini Puranik (MP) bt Radhika Dalwani (Mumbai) 52-12, 61-18; T.V. Sridevi (Karnataka) bt Ritu Shrivastava (MP) 53-21, 45-57, 60-28; Pooja Galundia (Rajasthan) bt Anoo Kulkarni (Mumbai) 53-21, 72-33; Heena Khandelwal (Mumbai) bt Dr. Renu Bharkatiya (MP) 61-42, 59-14; Ayesha Aga (Pune) bt Saranya Baskaran (TN) 54-14, 61-13; Shereen Bano (AP) bt Banumati Mendon (Karnataka) 47-8, 60-32; Suniti Damani w/o Gurjeet Nagee (Mumbai); Lavanya Baskaran (TN) bt Mehzabeen Raza (AP) 57-18, 42-26.