Belgian snooker player Luca Brecel has made a stunning comeback to reach the final of the World Championship against Mark Selby. Brecel overcame a nine-frame deficit to win 11 consecutive frames and make history at Sheffield’s Crucible Theater as the first player to do so. In the other semi-final, Selby beat Mark Allen 17-15 which was played earlier on Sunday.
Selby looked set for victory at 16-10, but Allen took five consecutive frames to apply the pressure. However, Selby held his nerve to reach his sixth world final. Meanwhile, Bressel trailed 14-5 against 20-year-old qualifier Si Jihui, who was bidding to become the youngest Crucible finalist since 1979 and the first debut world champion. But Brecel fought back brilliantly to win the final five frames on Friday evening. session and continued his momentum on Saturday, ending C’s run.
Brecel had never advanced past the first round, making his success all the more impressive. After his win, he said he was in disbelief and shaking with excitement. C praised Brecel’ near-perfect snooker in the last two sessions and admitted his weaknesses.
Selby and Allen’s match was very slow, drawing criticism from Stephen Hendry for putting a “dark cloud” over the Crucible. Friday’s session ended early, and Saturday morning’s session was just as difficult. Despite Selby’s impressive performance of the evening, Allen mounted a powerful comeback to make it 16-15. Selby finally got the win with Allen’s mid-range red, winning the match at 12:47 local time, just 12 hours before the scheduled start of the final.
The stage is now set for a thrilling final between Selby and Brecel, with Selby aiming for a fourth world championship title and Brecel hoping to become the first Belgian to win the event. The final promises to be an exciting and intense match, with both players eager to lift the trophy.
