World Snooker Championship: Brecel holds off Selby fightback to win title, forecasts European boom for the sport
- Luca Brecel says game will ‘explode’ on continent after he claims 18-15 win at the Crucible
- Victory makes the Belgian only fourth modern-era world champion from outside the UK
Belgium’s Luca Brecel said European snooker would “explode” after he became the first player from the continental mainland to be crowned world champion.
Brecel withstood a fightback from four-time champion Mark Selby to triumph 18-15 at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on Monday.
Victory also meant Brecel joined Canadian Cliff Thorburn (1980), the Republic of Ireland’s Ken Doherty (1997) and Australian Neil Robertson (2010) as only the fourth modern-era world champion from outside the United Kingdom.
Having overturned huge deficits to defeat both seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui in the quarter and semi-final rounds respectively, Brecel held his nerve after Selby had eroded his lead to just one frame.
The 28-year-old Brecel, an outstanding junior talent but a player who had never won a match at the World Championship before this year’s edition, started Monday’s concluding session 15-10 up.
Selby, however, won five of the next six frames as he closed to just 16-15 behind. But the Englishman then missed a black off its spot and Brecel capitalised to move within a frame of victory at 17-15.