Mysore/Mysuru: Natasha Chethan from Bengaluru, who has her roots in Mysuru, has secured bronze in this year’s U-21 Women’s World Snooker Championship held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, losing out to eventual winner Keerthana Pandian 3-1.

Natasha lost to Keerthana in the last-four stage. Natasha also won the trophy for the highest break in girls scoring both the first and second-highest breaks.

The World Under-21 Snooker Championship 2023 for men and women hosted by the Saudi Arabian Billiard and Snooker Federation in Riyadh, concluded recently. The game took place over a period of 10 days, in which more than 100 male and female players, representing 15 national teams, participated.

The closing ceremony was attended by the President of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF), Mubarak Al-Khayarin, the President of the Saudi Arabian Billiard and Snooker Federation Dr. Nasser Al-Shammari and members of the  participating teams.

At 15 years of age, Natasha has been competing and winning in the U-21 categories.

Notably, at The Crucible this year, Natasha was the only one among girls from India with participants from other countries who were listed as the ‘Class of 2023’. She also won the Asia-Pacific Women’s Challenge Cup.

A rare and commendable feat as the last such list made and published at The Crucible was in 1992, featuring Ronnie O Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins, all of whom won a combined total of over a hundred ranking titles.

Natasha is the daughter of Leena Chethan and H.S. Chethan of Sakleshpur. Her grandparents Tara Chand Gupta and Mamta Gupta are residents of Vijayanagar 1st Stage in Mysuru.

Leena is an art advisor who studied in Mysuru at Nirmala Convent, Mahajana College and did her MBA at the Universityof Mysore.

Snooker has changed a lot these days with young champions from India like Natasha regularly winning tournaments and topping the world rankings. The game’s future looks bright with many youngsters making a mark in the world snooker scene.

According to the trainers and the players, the game in India is still in its nascent stage and needs corporate sponsors who come forward to sponsor other games, such as cricket. With encouragement and sponsorships, snooker can also become a sport where players can get laurels for India.