1 week Ago By Saira Ahmed
The Scottish Open saw a remarkable comeback from Luca Brecel that left the crowd and player wondering how he had managed to pull it off. A six-cushion escape managed to secure Brecel a long-awaited victory, and it's a shot that has broken the internet due to the ridiculous nature of the effort. The 29-year-old Belgian snooker player has faced a difficult year.
After winning the world title in 2023, he’s faced a decline in performance. His season had been the talk of a lot of journalists, and he was even at risk of losing his spot on the professional snooker circuit. His performance at the Scottish Open, however, has silenced his critics and secured him a place in the quarter-finals.
It’ll also be his first ranking event quarter-final of 2024. Luca Brecel Makes Scottish Open Quarter-Final Against Chinese snooker player Ding Junhui, Brecel trailed 3-1 in their best-of-seven match, putting himself in a difficult situation. Then, in a frame where he was leading 64-27, he took a shot that stunned everyone watching.
In a bid to hit the yellow hidden behind the black, it initially looked like Brecel had missed. The power behind the shot, though, meant that the ball had bounced twice off of the cushions before returning to the yellow, trapping it between the table and the white. Even Junhui seemed in shock as he prepared for his shot.
Luca Brecel's 2024 Scottish Open results (as of 13/12/24) Round Opponent Result Last 64 Julien Leclerq 4-3 Last 32 Zhou Yuelong 4-1 Last 16 Ding Junhui 4-3 After that shot, momentum seemed to be on Brecel’s side, and he found the form he’d been struggling with. Wrapping up the final three frames, he managed to seal a win against Ding for the first time in eight matches. Commentator Phil Studd applauded the six cushion escape: “That might be the most surreal escape from a snooker in the history of the sport.
” Luca Brecel Happy to Advance Talking to Eurosport after his win, Brecel expressed his happiness at the victory. “It was good. The difficult part was getting back to 3-3 and then the decider.
” He then reflected on the challenges of the match, adding: “I always fancied controlling myself. It was a tough win.” Brecel will face Guodong Xiao in the quarter-final, with his professional career still on the line.
With a better mindset going into the next match and momentum carrying him forward, Brecel will hope for back-to-back wins against his next opponent. Xiao had beaten hometown hero Stephen Maguire 4-1 to secure his place in the quarter-final. Snooker player Shaun Murphy and darts player Luke Humphries got in a rather heated debate over what's harder between a 147 and a 9-darter.
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