World Snooker Championship: Luca Brecel is crowned Crucible champion

Eleven years after making history as the youngest ever player to compete at the Crucible as a raw 17-year-old, Brecel finally delivered on his undoubted potential with a 18-15 triumph.

The 28-year-old Belgian is the first winner of the title from mainland Europe, and the first overseas winner since Neil Robertson in 2010.

He had to survive a Selby fightback, the four-time world champion dragging himself back from 16-10 down to win five successive frames.

But Brecel – whose maverick style of play has won him many admirers at the Crucible – held his nerve to scramble over the winning line to bank the £500,000 top prize.

It completed a remarkable story for Brecel. Before this year, he had never even won a single match at the Crucible, losing in his five previous visits at the first hurdle.

And he has had to beat the best on his road to glory, seeing off Mark Williams, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Selby – boasting a combined total of 14 Crucible crowns – along the way. He trailed Sheffield-based Si Jiahui 14-5 in the semi-finals, before staging a record comeback – winning 11 successive frames – to win 17-15.

“It's amazing, I can't see any more, I don't know why,” said an emotional Brecel.

“So tough, he's the worst opponent to have in a final, he just keeps coming back, he's such a fighter, when it was 16-15 I didn't fancy winning at all, I was missing balls by a mile but then I made a good break.

“I won't practice for a couple of weeks, months, just going to enjoy this – it's been a crazy week, no practice just partying, it shouldn't be legal!”

After Selby’s fightback on Sunday night – including his historic 147 – Brecel looked under pressure despite resuming Monday lunchtime leading 9-8.

But the world No 10 produced an opening four frames which will live long in the memory.

Three centuries saw Brecel pull away to lead 13-8 and put one hand on this famous Crucible trophy.

Yet it was Selby who had the opening chance, looking to restore parity for the first time since they cued off 24 hours previously.

But the Leicester potter ran out of position, and Brecel pounced with a 113 clearance.

Brecel looked poised for another hefty score in the next frame, faltered on 43, but got the better of master tactician Selby in the safety game to go 11-8 ahead.

A missed yellow to the centre gifted Brecel another chance to score heavy, and he obliged knocking in 101 which included an audacious double on the yellow.

The Belgian was now in full flow – another spell of entertaining ‘Luca Snooka’ – and produced a 141 break, while the mid-session interval was probably the last thing he wanted.

Selby needed to slow the game down, and make the contest more of an attritional scrap. Breaks of 63 and 54 allowed him to claw the first two frames back after the interval, but Brecel responded with another century, this time 119.

Selby – world champion in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021 – looked set to win the final frame of the afternoon, but the 39-year-old missed a red with the rest, allowing Brecel to swoop in and take a commanding 15-10 lead into the evening session.

This was a final befitting a tournament which has thrilled and entertained in equal measure. No surprise then that, after going on sale on Sunday, 70 per cent of next year’s World Championship tickets have already been snapped up, and the 2024 final is completely sold out.

Those who had tickets on Sunday evening – when Brecel needed just three more frames for victory – would have been hoping for a Selby fightback.

This was Selby’s sixth Crucible final – only Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan have played in more – but he faced a huge deficit. It only got worse when play resumed, Brecel edging 16-10 ahead with a 67 break. But then came the Selby fightback.

A missed blue by the Belgian opened the door for Selby, who pushed through with breaks of 78 and 122 to pull back three frames to cut the deficit to three at the mid-session interval.

Brecel has entertained the Crucible crowds over 17 days, and had four efforts in the shot of the tournament.

But to escape from a cruel Selby snooker – in frame 28 – when tucked behind the blue was a worthy late contender for the BBC pundits.

Selby continued to drag himself back into the match with a 50 break in frame 30.

It was a similar scene in the next frame, Brecel frozen out again, as Selby won the frame with a 52 break.

Brecel has scored some big centuries at the Crucible, but none as important as his 51 break in frame 32, after almost an hour without scoring. He then completed the victory in style with a 112 break, punching the air in a victory salute.