Doha: To Pankaj Advani, winning the gold medal in the Asian Games billiards here was a very special moment. The world champion, who defeated Ashok Shandilya in a rather one-sided final here, was so overwhelmed after his 76-101, 101-40, 100-0, 100-32 victory that he wanted to take the first flight home to share the joy with his family.

This was India’s second gold medal in the Games after Koneru Humpy won the rapid chess gold on Monday.

In the final, Advani was in scintillating form. So great was his domination that it prompted Shandilya to comment later that he had nothing much to do but watch the performance of his rival. “He was too good. I never expected such a great performance from him. It was a great show.”

Pankaj was modest even in victory. “It is not a great result for me, but for India. After all, both the gold and the silver medal will travel to India.

“Personally, it is memorable for me because I could bring the gold for my motherland. Now I know how thrilled you feel when you get a chance to serve the country.”

Both Advani and Shandilya agreed on one point. “It was a gruelling contest, but under friendly circumstances. After all, we knew that both the medals are ours,” said the new champion.

In women’s hockey, however, things didn’t go in India ’s way as China defeated India 3-1. It could have been a whitewash but for Surinder Kaur, who struck a consolation goal after China took a 3-0 lead.

The girls fared better on the tennis front. Sania Mirza played the second singles after Shikha Uberoi defeated Thailand’s Suchanan Viratprasert 6-3, 6-4 to win the first singles.

There were loud cheers when Sania took the court. She defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-3 and gracefully complimented the crowd.

“It is like a second home for me. They really like me here. This win is really special for me as I could please the crowd.”