Arantxa Sanchis

Arantxa Sanchis is a female professional English billiards and snooker player from India. She won a gold medal in the Women's Team event at the inaugural IBSF World 6-Red Snooker and Team Snooker Championship in Carlow, Ireland, on 6 October 2013.[8][3] It was a historic first gold medal for Indian women's snooker at a World Championship. On 27 September 2015, she won the inaugural IBSF World Billiards Championship in Adelaide, Australia.[9] This feat made her the only woman in the world to hold IBSF World titles in both billiards and snooker.[10]

Arantxa Lael Sanchis
Born (1990-04-27) 27 April 1990[1]
Mumbai, India
Sport country India
Highest rankingWorld No. 13 (Snooker)
Highest break126 (Snooker)
102 (English billiards)
Arantxa Sanchis
Medal record
Representing  India
International Billiards
IBSF World Women's Billiards Championship Adelaide, Australia 2015[2]
International Snooker
IBSF World Women's Team Snooker Championship Carlow, Ireland 2013[3]
IBSF World Women's Snooker Championship Antalya, Turkey 2019[4]
IBSF World Women's Team Snooker Championship Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt 2016
Asian Snooker
ACBS Women's Snooker Championship Chandigarh, India 2019
ACBS Women's Six Red Snooker Championship Fujairah, UAE 2016
National Billiards - Senior
National Billiards Championship Kolkata, India2015[5]
National Billiards Championship Pune, India2012[5]
National Billiards Championship Indore, India2016
National Billiards Championship Pune, India2020
National Billiards Championship Indore, India2019[5]
National Billiards Championship Lucknow, India2014
National Snooker - Senior
National 6 Red Snooker Championship Mumbai, India2012
National Snooker Championship Indore, India2019[6]
National Snooker Championship Pune, India2017
National Snooker Championship Chennai, India2011
National 6 Red Snooker Championship Ahmedabad, India2020

[7]

National Billiards - Junior
National Billiards Championship Pune, India2010[1]
National Billiards Championship Agra, India2009[1]
National Billiards Championship Indore, India2008[1]
National Snooker - Junior
National Snooker Championship Agra, India2009[1]
National Snooker Championship Indore, India2008[1]
National Snooker Championship Pune, India2010[1]
National Billiards – Sub-Junior
National Billiards Championship Indore, India2008[1]
National Snooker – Sub-Junior
National Snooker Championship Indore, India2008[1]
State Snooker - Senior
Maharashtra State Snooker Championship Mumbai, India2011
Maharashtra State Snooker Championship Mumbai, India2009[1]
Maharashtra State Snooker Championship Mumbai, India2007[1]

In addition, she won the bronze medal at the IBSF World Team Snooker Championship at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in July 2016. This was followed up by a bronze medal at the ACBS Asian 6 Red Snooker Championship at Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, in September 2016.

Sanchis was the best-performing Indian female cueist for the year 2019. She won a bronze medal at the ACBS Asian Snooker Championship at Chandigarh, India, in May 2019. This was followed up with another bronze medal at the IBSF World Women's Snooker Championship at Antalya, Turkey, in November 2019.[11]

In recognition of her achievements in the sport, she was presented with the Phoenix Leading Lady Award 2020 for Personal Excellence in Sports organised by Phoenix Market City.

Prior to this she has won ten National and two Maharashtra State Championships. She made history and created a record by winning four titles at a single Nationals (Indore 2008). This made her the first-ever Indian cueist (male or female) to accomplish this feat. She won the National Senior Women's Billiards Championship in 2012 and 2015, and the National Six Red Snooker Championship in 2012.[12] At 17 years of age, she represented India at the 2007 IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship, held at Goa and was a semi-finalist.

On 3 December 2015, Sanchis was conferred with the Shiv Chhatrapati Award – Maharashtra's highest sporting honor for her achievements in the sports of billiards and snooker.[13]

Early life

Arantxa Lael Sanchis was born on 27 April 1990 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She was named after the Spanish professional tennis player Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Arantxa is the daughter of retired Indian Army officer, Colonel EJ Sanchis, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla who trained at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun and served for around three decades in the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. He was the Commander in-charge of the Rescue Operation of the Orissa flood in the year 1999. He has represented NDA and Marathwada University in Cricket and Hockey. He has given her tremendous support in her sporting career and is currently her Coach, Manager and Mentor for the game. Her mother is Carolina Sanchis, who is an alumnus of St. Xavier's College Mumbai. She has an elder sister Amanda Sanchis, who is a head of administration and a talented writer.

Career beginnings

She started playing Snooker in 2005 at the age of 15. It was at the Officer's Mess at the College of Military Engineering in Pune, where her father was serving in the Indian Army that she picked up the cue. She potted the first ball she aimed at. She was then studying in the X Std at the Army Public School, Pune. She would look for every opportunity to play and coaxed her father to take her. She started participating in the Annual tournament in Billiards and Snooker for the Army officers at CME and won both the Billiards and Snooker Championships in the year 2006. She then took part in a Pune Open Snooker tournament at PYC Hindu Gymkhana in which she won the opening frame of her very first competitive match by potting the last black against her older and more experienced male player. Arantxa plays both snooker and billiards at the International level.

Coaching

She had her basic coaching under late Shri Satish Amarnath; a renowned National and International Billiards and Snooker player. Her compact stance, smooth cue delivery and sharp potting skills were developed under him. She had a short stint with Thai Snooker player Phisit Chandsri, a 3-time IBSF World Snooker Masters Champion. He improved her break building ability and game strategy. At present, she is coached and mentored by her father.[10]

Education

Arantxa has done her schooling from Army Public School, Pune. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Information Technology from St. Francis Institute of Technology, University of Mumbai. She then went on to acquire an MBA in Finance and International Business from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies under Symbiosis International University, Pune.

Sporting achievements
Arantxa Sanchis awarded the gold medal at the IBSF World Women's Billiards Championship, 2015.

Sanchis has been a World and National Champion in Billiards.

In addition, she was a quarter-finalist at the below events:
IBSF World 6 Red Snooker Championships:

IBSF World Snooker Championship:

She has represented India at multiple world championships:
WPBSA Professional World Billiards Championship:

IBSF World Snooker Championship:

She represented Deccan Gymkhana, New Poona Club and Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) for various tournaments in Pune. She has also represented MCF Club and Catholic Gymkhana at the Mumbai Billiards & Snooker Leagues.

Sanchis' achievements at All India open tournaments include:

  • CCI Open Snooker 2019 – Top 32 (Amongst men)[16][17]
  • Matunga Gymkhana 6 Red Open Snooker 2018 – Top 16 (Amongst men)
  • ECC 6 Red Open Snooker 2018 – Top 32 (Amongst men)
  • Matunga Gymkhana 6 Red Open Snooker 2016 – Quarterfinalist (Amongst men)
  • Snooker Premier League 2016 - Runner-up (Team - Royal Strikers)

Academic achievements

Sanchis achieved a Distinction during her Engineering from St. Francis Institute of Technology, Mumbai. She was declared the Best Student of the institute.[18]

She also topped her MBA in Finance from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune. Here too, she was declared the Best Student of the institute.
In the year 2013, she was awarded with the Chancellor's Gold Medal of Symbiosis International University for all-round excellence in MBA among 5000 students across 10 Institutes in India. She won as many as 10 awards during her two years of the MBA Course. She was awarded the Sports scholarship for two years in a row by the University.

Awards and recognition

Sports:

  • Shiv Chhatrapati Award for the year 2013–2014 by Maharashtra Government
  • Best Sportsperson Award for the year 2012–2013 by Symbiosis International University
  • Awarded the Phoenix Leading Lady Award 2020 for Personal Excellence (Sports)
  • Most promising player at the Turf Club Open 2008
  • Featured in the 100 Women Special by BBC.[19]
  • She was felicitated at the RWITC Pune Derby 2015 for her performance in Billiards and Snooker.

Academics:

  • Chancellor's gold medal for all-round excellence in Symbiosis International University 2013.
  • Overall Best Student Manager in MBA 2013.
  • S. B. Mujumdar Award for Commitment and Dedication 2013.
  • Best Internship Award 2013.
  • Army Silver Medal for Excellence in Finance 2013.
  • Army Silver Medal for Excellence in International Business 2013.
  • Best Student Manager in Engineering in the year 2011.

References
  1. "Arantxa L. Sanchis". cuesportsindia.com. Cue Sports India. 21 September 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  2. "Cuesportfolio". bsfi.net. The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  3. Subbaiah, Sunil (6 October 2013). "Indian women win team title in World Snooker Championship". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  4. "IBSF Snooker Championships Women – Antalya / Turkey 2019 (Knockout)". International Billiards and Snooker Federation. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  5. "Billiards: Arantxa Sanchis clinches bronze". Free Press Journal. 7 February 2019. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  6. "Pankaj Advani wins 86th senior snooker national championship". Sportstar. 10 February 2019. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  7. "Title No – 6 For Vidya in National Snooker". The New Indian Express. Chennai. 25 July 2011 – via NewsBank. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  8. Stead, Marcus. "Tournament winners". Snooker Scene. No. November 2013. Everton's News Agency. p. 33.
  9. Kamath, Amit (3 October 2015). "World Billiards Champ Arantxa Sanchis Bemoans Gender Bias". Mid Day. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  10. D'Sa, Edwin (29 September 2015). "Arantxa Sanchis lone Indian woman to win snooker and billiards crown". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  11. "Arantxa Sanchis wins bronze medal at IBSF Snooker Championships". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 10 November 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  12. "Arora, Arantxa make it a special Sunday". The Indian Express. 12 June 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  13. Khandekar, Aashay (5 December 2015). "Sportspersons bag Shiv Chhatrapati awards, say all game to win more medals for India". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  14. "World Chamionships [sic] (Timed)". wbeventsonline.com. World Billiards. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  15. "World Chamionships [sic] (150-up)". wbeventsonline.com. World Billiards. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  16. "Arantxa stuns Rishabh to reach round of 32 at snooker tourney". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 14 March 2019. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  17. Awasthi, Shailendra (17 March 2019). "Advani gives Arantxa a masterclass". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  18. "Congratulations Arantxa". sfitlibrary.blogspot.com. St. Francis Institute of Technology (Library blog). 11 February 2019. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  19. "#100Women खेल के चमकते सितारे (भाग-3)" [#100Women Shining Stars of the Game (Part-3)]. BBC. 20 November 2015. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
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