Luca Brecel toppled defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan en route to the final; his victory came in the wake of four-time champion Mark Selby making history on Sunday night with the first 147 in a World Snooker Championship final history
Monday 1 May 2023 23:02, UK
Luca Brecel held off a spirited Mark Selby fightback in the final session to win the World Snooker Championship final 18-15, capping a stunning campaign at the Crucible.
The Belgian, who had toppled defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan en route to the final, held a 15-10 advantage heading into the evening and duly claimed the first frame of the night to move to within two of victory.
But back came Selby, the four-time world champion, rattling off the next five frames across the mid-session interval to reduce the deficit to 16-15.
Selby had moved back to within two at 16-14 after winning the 30th frame in two visits, the second in succession in which Brecel failed to score a point.
Selby then built a break of 43 on the back of a fluked red in the following frame, and when Brecel missed a long red, the Jester from Leicester closed the gap to one.
But Brecel recovered, taking the next two frames to clinch a memorable win and become the first player from mainland Europe to win the Crucible title.
He had gone almost an hour without potting a ball, but the momentum swung back in the 32nd frame when Selby missed a simple black to the top corner. Brecel responded with a break of 43 and, even after Selby managed to fluke a red, he would return after a missed brown to creep one closer to the winning line.
In the following frame, Brecel posted his fifth century of the final, a brilliant 112, to seal victory in fine style. The 28-year-old is the youngest winner at the Crucible since Shaun Murphy in 2005
Brecel told the BBC afterwards: "It's amazing. [Selby is] the worst opponent to have in the final. He just keeps coming back, he's such a fighter and at 16-15, I didn't fancy winning at all to be honest.
"I was missing balls by a mile. I don't know how I did it. Once I got to 17, I fancied if I got a chance to clear up, which I did and it's a great feeling."
Brecel had not won a match in his five previous visits to World Snooker Championship. This year he beat three multiple world champions - Mark Williams, O'Sullivan and Selby - and, in the semi-finals, the Belgian produced a record-breaking comeback from 14-5 down to get past 20-year-old Si Jiahui of China. No player had ever previously come from more than eight frames back to win a match at the Crucible.
Brecel's path to victory came in the wake of Selby making history on Sunday night with the first 147 in a World Snooker Championship final.
Brecel still enjoyed a 9-8 overnight lead, despite Selby's maximum, and he rattled off the opening four frames in the Sunday afternoon session, posting three centuries, to seize command of the final.
Selby dug in and took the next two frames but Brecel then compiled another century before snatching the last frame of the afternoon session to take a 15-10 lead into the evening climax.
