World Snooker Championship 2023: Luca Brecel completes stunning comeback to sink Si Jiahui and book spot in final
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 29/04/2023 at 16:56 GMT
Si Jiahui had a huge advantage at one stage, leading by nine frames over Luca Brecel in their semi-final of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield. Brecel could easily have thrown in the towel, but he knuckled down and fought back to level the match at 14-14. It turned into a best-of-five encounter, and Brecel held firm to close out a thrilling win.
'He's got it' - Brecel sinks blue to make it all square against Si
Luca Brecel wrote himself into the Crucible history books when becoming the first player to come back from nine frames behind to claim a stunning 17-15 victory over Si Jiahui to reach the final of the World Championship.
The Belgian’s race looked run when he trailed 14-5, having endured a couple of torrid sessions in which he was warned by referee Rob Spencer for swiping the cue ball off the table in frustration.
Brecel began to turn the tide when winning the final five frames on Friday evening, and he carried the momentum into the final session as he totally overwhelmed his young opponent.
After going from the hunter to the hunted, Brecel showed no nerves in getting over the winning line to book his place in the final.
The momentum was with Brecel after his burst the previous evening, and he carried it into Saturday afternoon with a run of 70 to take the first of the session.
Brecel won seven on the spin to end Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for glory, and he racked up the same number of unanswered frames when winning a rare scrappy frame in the 26th to get back within two.
Si was left chilly in his chair in the 27th as Brecel picked off a series of excellent pots, a black across the table with the white against the left cushion highlighting how well he was cueing, in a break of 80 to close the gap to one.
After trailing by nine, Brecel made it a level game when taking the 18th. The Belgian worked an early advantage in the frame, but Si showed he still had fight in him by chipping away at the deficit and it boiled down to a battle on the colours.
Si left Brecel a sighter at frame-ball blue and he knocked it in to draw level at 14-14.
Ronnie O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio that he felt Si’s arm had tightened up. It appeared to be the case in the frame after the interval as the 20-year-old hit the wrong side of a red when attempting a safety, and Brecel made 48 to take control of the frame.
With the table locked down, Brecel got back in to pick off the balls he required to take the 29th and move in front for the first time since the opening frame of the contest.
The pockets must have felt like buckets for Si for two sessions. The buckets were replaced by pinheads for the concluding session, and he missed a couple of good chances in the 30th.
Brecel was in no mood to show mercy, and he hoovered up a break of 73 to get within one frame of victory.
Brecel played his worst shot of the session in the 31st, and his slack safety offered Si a chance which he gratefully accepted with a stunning break of 91.
After taking blow after blow, Si bounced off the ropes to breathe life into his hopes.
After a nerveless passage of play, Brecel suddenly looked fallible. The safety error in the previous frame was followed by a missed red when on a break of 41.
Si countered with a break of 40, but was unable to get good position on the final red. He had a shot at it, but it wobbled in the jaws and Brecel climbed from his chair to knock it in and seal the colours he required to close out a breathtaking victory.
- - -
Stream top snooker action, including the World Championship live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement