Shruthi L

Shruthi L
Shruthi L with championship trophies in 2025
Bornc. 2007
Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Sport countryIndia
World Women's Billiards Champion2024, 2025

Shruthi L (born c. 2007) is an Indian player of English billiards, snooker and pool. She won the World Women's Billiards Championship in 2024 and retained the title in 2025, and was subsequently ranked world number one on the World Billiards women's ranking list.

Based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Shruthi took up cue sports in 2021 and has since won national junior titles in billiards, snooker and nine-ball pool, as well as the 2025 English Open Challenge Cup. She has also competed at senior level in Heyball, reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 Indian national championship.

Early life

Shruthi L was born c. 2007 in Tamil Nadu, India.[1] She began playing cue sports in January 2021 after playing on a pool table while visiting her uncle in Bengaluru. She joined Buddys Chennai Billiards Academy in March 2021 and began training under coach Abinava Krishna.[2] By 2023, she was training at the academy four days a week as well as practising at home.[2][3]

She won the Indian girls' Sub-junior National Billiards Championship in 2022, defeating Saanvi Shah 112–106 in a one-hour match. Shruthi took the lead, but fell behind before securing victory in the final minute of the contest.[4][5]

The following year, she won the Indian Junior Girls' National Billiards Championship, defeating Aanya Patel with a score of 179–93 in the final.[6][7] Shruthi commented afterwards, "It feels special to win at home. I’m grateful for all the support from my parents, coach and the Tamil Nadu billiards and snooker community."[8] In an interview that month, she said, "If you look at billiards as a game, it's very creative. There are three modes of scoring. And there isn't any particular pattern as to how you have to play; you can be as creative as you want. I like that a lot."[3] Shruthi received a High Cash Incentive Award from the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) in 2023.[9] She later credited this with motivating her as well as financially allowing her to play overseas.[9]

World Women's Billiards Champion and recent career

In 2024, Shruthi won the World Women's Billiards Championship, which was held at the Landywood Snooker Club, Walsall, England.[10] Starting as the lowest seed in the competition, she won all three of her matches in the group stage, defeating 2019 champion Anna Lynch 256–203, Keerath Bhandaal 201–173, and Michelle Cohen 311–142.[10][11][12] In her semi-final match, she eliminated three-time finalist Eva Palmius 276–148.[10][13] In the final, she faced Bhandaal again, and won 215–202 to take the title.[14][10] After the match, she posted "Thanks to my coach Abinav of #Buddys for making this happen."[15]

In November 2024, she competed in the World Junior Heyball Championship.[16][17] After defeating Cedar Gauthier 6–0 in the group stage, she lost 3–6 to Natasha Chetan in the quarter-finals.[16]

She won the 2025 English Open Challenge Cup, for players who did not reach the knockout stages of the English Open, winning the final by a single point against Adam Clarke after having eliminated world number 11 Terry Azor in the first round.[18][19] At the 2025 World Billiards Championship she qualified for the knockout stages after three wins in four matches in her qualifying group including a 298–282 win against world number 12 Chris Mitchell.[20][19]

She retained the women's world championship in 2025.[21] She won all three of her matches in her qualifying group, against Eva Palmius, Michelle Cohen and Annette Newman, and made four half-century break including a 56, which was the highest of the competition.[21] After defeating Bhandaal 308–176 in the semi-finals, Shruthi beat Lynch 347–222 in the final.[22] The final was closely contested for the first hour, before Shruthi pulled away in the closing half-hour to secure the win.[23] Following the championship, World Billiards ranked Shruthi first on its 2025–26 women's world ranking list with 3,750 ranking points, ahead of Lynch and Bhandaal.[24]

In January 2026 she finished third at the national billiards championship, losing 146–160 to Amee Kamani but then defeating R. Umadevi 152–140 in the bronze medal playoff.[25] She won her first Indian junior girls' national snooker title, defeating Aanya Patel 3–0 in the final.[26] Two months later, she won the Indian junior girls' nine-ball championship on her debut in the event. She defeated defending champion Natasha Chethan 6–4 in the final.[27]

At the Indian Heyball National Championships in July 2026, Shruthi finished third in the women's event. She defeated Neena Praveen 6–4 in the quarter-final, lost 5–2 to eventual champion Natasha Chethan in the semi-final and defeated Vidya Pillai 5–0 in the third-place playoff.[28]

Achievements

English Billiards

Shruthi L playing billiards
Shruthi L at the 2025 World Women's Billiards Championship
World Billiards finals contested by Shruthi L
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref.
Winner 2024 World Women's Billiards Championship  Keerath Bhandaal (IND) 215–202 [14]
Winner 2025 English Open – Challenge Cup[a]  Adam Clarke (ENG) 179–178 [18]
Winner 2025 World Women's Billiards Championship  Anna Lynch (AUS) 347–222 [29]
Indian national finals contested by Shruthi L
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref.
Winner 2022 Sub-Junior Billiards Championship  Saanvi Shah (IND) 112–106 [30]
Winner 2023 Junior Billiards Championship  Aanya Patel (IND) 179–93 [31]
Winner 2024[b] Sub-Junior Billiards Championship  Natasha Chetan (IND) 210–116 [32][33][34]
State finals contested by Shruthi L
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref.
Winner 2023 Tamil Nadu Sub-Junior Billiards Championship  Abel Maria Benny (IND) 251–34 [35]
Winner 2023 Tamil Nadu Junior Billiards Championship  Snethra Babu (IND) 118–18 [35]
Winner 2023 Tamil Nadu Billiards Championship  Snethra Babu (IND) 3–0 (sets) [36][37]
Runner-up 2024 Tamil Nadu Billiards Championship  Anupama Ramachandran (IND) 1–3 (sets of 75-up) [36]

Snooker

Indian national finals contested by Shruthi L
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref.
Runner-up 2024–25 Sub-Junior Snooker Championship  Natasha Chetan (IND) unknown [32]
Runner-up 2024–25 Junior Snooker Championship  Aanya Patel (IND) unknown [32]
Winner 2026 Junior Snooker Championship  Aanya Patel (IND) 3–0 [38]
State finals contested by Shruthi L
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref.
Runner-up 2023 Tamil Nadu Sub-Junior Snooker Championship  Afeefa Thabassam (IND) 0–2 [39]
Winner 2023 Tamil Nadu Junior Snooker Championship  R.T. Mohitha (IND) 2–0 [40]
Runner-up 2024 Tamil Nadu Snooker Championship  Anupama Ramachandran (IND) 1–3 [41]

Pool

Indian national finals contested by Shruthi L
Outcome Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref.
Winner 2026 Indian Junior Girls' Nine-ball Championship  Natasha Chethan (IND) 6–4 [42]

Notes

  1. ↑ For players who did not reach the knockout stage of the English Open
  2. ↑ Actually played in January 2025

References

  1. ↑ "Double delight: Natasha bags snooker and billiard titles at nationals". The New Indian Express. 25 December 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Shruthi is impressing in snooker and billiards" (PDF). Mylapore Times. 9 September 2023. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 Surana, Neha (23 December 2023). "Chennai Cueist Shruthi Makes Strides". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  4. ↑ "Shruti wins Sub-Junior Billiards title". Free Press Journal. 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "Shruthi shines in the sub-junior national billiards championship". The New Indian Express. 20 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "Shruthi secures first junior billiards title at nationals". The New Indian Express. 23 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Cue sports nationals: Grand double for Natasha Chethan". The Hindu. 20 December 2023. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "2023 National Billiards & Snooker: Double for Natasha; Shruthi win Junior girls' crown". Eastern Mirror. IANS. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Shruthi L World Women's Billiards Champion" (in Tamil). Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Tamil Nadu. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026 – via Facebook.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Stead, Marcus (November 2024). "Women's World Championship". Snooker Scene. p. 38.
  11. ↑ "2019 World Women's Billiards Championship". wbeventsonline.com. World Billiards. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  12. ↑ Ragav, S. Dipak (13 November 2024). "Shruthi clinches crown in Women's World Billiards Championship Title". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "World Ladies Billiards Champions". World Billiards. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  14. 1 2 "Shruthi clinches 2024 Women's World Billiards Championship". World Billiards. 1 November 2024.
  15. ↑ @championshruthi (1 November 2024). "Happy to have won Women's World Billiards Championship title for 2024 held at #Landywood snooker club, United Kingdom on 30th Oct' 2024. Thanks to my coach Abinav of #Buddys for making this happen" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  16. 1 2 "WPA Heyball Junior World Championship – Girls". Cuescore. Archived from the original on 6 September 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  17. ↑ "India hosts inaugural Jr Heyball championship". The Times of India. 3 December 2024. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  18. 1 2 "2025 English Open Challenge Cup". World Billiards. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Ranking List for Season 2026". World Billiards. Archived from the original on 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  20. ↑ "2025 World Billiards Championship: Groups". World Billiards. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  21. 1 2 "Shruthi L Defends Women's World Championship". World Billiards. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  22. ↑ "2025 Women's World Championship". World Billiards. 15 October 2025.
  23. ↑ "Shruthi L from India Retains her Women's World Billiards Title in Landywood 2025". Republic of Ireland Ladies Snooker Association. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Women's Billiards – World Ranking List". World Billiards. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Singh, Ramendra (13 January 2026). "TN's Anupama cues up a comeback, denies MP's Kamani double crown". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  26. ↑ "Tamil Nadu maiden Shruthi wears snooker crown, denies Gujarat cueist Aanya jr double". Khel Khiladis. 27 January 2026. Archived from the original on 29 April 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "National 9-Ball Pool: Shruthi Beats Natasha For Junior Girls Title; Aarav Sancheti Wins Boys' Crown". The Free Press Journal. 1 April 2026. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Heyball National Championships: Natasha Chethan Completes Double, Laxman Rawat Wins Maiden Senior Title". The Free Press Journal. 7 July 2026. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Dominant Causier Defends World Billiards Championship Crown". WPBSA. 17 October 2025.
  30. ↑ "Prize Money Winner" (PDF). Billiards and Snooker federation of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2023.
  31. ↑ "Shruthi wins Junior National Billiards Championship". Sports Today. 23 December 2023.
  32. 1 2 3 "National Snooker Championship 2024–2025: Final Ranking" (PDF). Billiards and Snooker Federation of India. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  33. ↑ @buddyschennai; (9 January 2025). "Ms. Shruthi L won her second Sub-junior girls billiards National title beating Ms.Natasha Chetan 210/116 in the ongoing National Billiards & Snooker Championships 2024–25 being held at the Indore Tennis Club. This is her 3rd National Title.. many congratulations..." – via Instagram.
  34. ↑ "Teen Cue Sports Star Shruthi L Shines on Global Stage with International Triumphs". Prudent Media. 14 April 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  35. 1 2 "Double for Shruthi". The Hindu. 6 August 2023. p. 26.
  36. 1 2 "Anupama clinches women's billiards title". The Hindu. 29 July 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  37. ↑ "Shruthi bags women billiards title". United News of India. 11 August 2023.
  38. ↑ "Tamil Nadu maiden Shruthi wears snooker crown, denies Gujarat cueist Aanya jr double". Khel Khiladis. 27 January 2026. Archived from the original on 14 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  39. ↑ "Afeefa takes the honours". The Hindu. 2 August 2023. p. 21.
  40. ↑ "Shruthi wins her third title". The Hindu. 7 August 2023.
  41. ↑ "TN State-ranking billiards and snooker c'ship: Anupama completes sweet double". The Hindu. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  42. ↑ "National 9-Ball Pool: Shruthi Beats Natasha For Junior Girls Title; Aarav Sancheti Wins Boys' Crown". The Free Press Journal. 1 April 2026. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.