The World Championship in Brecelsnock was won.
In the early morning of the 2nd, the 2023 World Snooker Championship came to an end. Belgian 90s Brecel withstood Selby's counterattack in the final stage and eventually won the match 18-15 and was crowned champion.
Brecel's victory meant the first post-90s champion at the World Championships, and he was the third non-British world champion after Thorne Doherdi and Robertson.
Brecel was ranked 10th in the world before the tournament, and after winning the title, he received £500,000 in prize money while soaring to second in the world, behind "Rocket" O'Sullivan.
Brecel cried with emotion after the game.
A magical reversal journey
If China's 20-year-old Si Jiahui is considered the number one dark horse at this World Championship, Brecel's road to victory now seems even more precious.
In the previous 5 trips to Cruzburg (the venue of the World Championship), Brecel had never scored a single victory (main draw).
His thrilling 10-9 victory over Rich Wharton in his first World Championship was his first World Championship win – and not many could have foreseen the Belgian going to the end, as the signings showed that Brecel was likely to face legends such as Mark Williams and O'Sullivan in succession.
What happened next was jaw-dropping again and again – beating Williams 13-11 and O'Sullivan 13-10, Brecel burst into astonishing firepower in the face of adversity, making comeback the most visible label of the tournament himself.
In the 1/4 final, 6-10 behind won 7 consecutive games to pick O'Sullivan, and even let the old champion who was also the world number one under great pressure from the outside world, at that time some fans angrily condemned O'Sullivan for allegedly match-fixing...
O'Sullivan, on the other hand, was convinced: "I'm not going to be upset about this defeat because the opponent left me helpless, he fought unbelievably, if it was a boxing match, the referee would quickly call a halt, my performance had no impact on the match, I just waited for the fight to end." ”
However, this is not Brecel's most brilliant reversal.
Brecel kisses the trophy.
Facing China's Si Jia Hui in the semifinals, Brecel was led by the nose by Si Jia Hui for most of the match, and the score was 5-14 at one point, and Si Jia Hui only needed to win three more games to reach the final in history.
But from the second half of the third stage to the fourth stage, Brecel once again showed his "reversal physique", winning 11 consecutive games.
The most points reversed in the previous World Championship was 8 sets, dating back to 1985, when Dennis Taylor lost his first eight sets and eventually won 18-17 over Steve Davis.
This time, Brecel trailed by 9 innings and chased 11 innings in a row, which is not only unprecedented, but also likely unprecedented.
Brecel hugs his girlfriend.
Calm after winning the championship
With this series of incredible reversals, Brecel's final PK with Selby is not so explosive from the senses.
He started with a 6-2 lead, the second stage was 9-8, and in the third period, Brecel broke four consecutive hundreds, changing the score to 15-10, although Selby also went on a 5-0 run afterwards, but eventually landed smoothly 18-15.
"It's been a crazy week and winning the title is unbelievable." Brecel, who won the title, had reason to be happy.
When the host asked him how he felt about the fact that it took him 11 years (first World Championships in 2012) to win his first World Championship and win the final championship?
Brecel said: "Nothing has changed, before coming to Cruzburg, there were a lot of people who said that I was still blank here [not winning a game], I didn't practice particularly for this event, I wanted to come here with a relaxed state without any expectations. Of course, everything that followed was crazy. ”
Brecel also talked about his good luck, including the match with Scarlet Fai that made him desperate, "I almost lost the first round with Wharton, and at one point I didn't even think I had to play the fourth stage in the third stage of the semifinals... Being able to make it to the final was a reward, and I shouldn't have been standing here. ”
Brecel with his family.
Scarfar's best role model
Brecel is now at the peak of his career, but from becoming famous at a young age to achieving the most important title in the snooker world, Brecel has experienced too much.
At the age of 12, he won more than 100 strokes in official competitions, and was evaluated as a talented teenager comparable to O'Sullivan in the same age group; At the age of 14, he became the youngest European U19 champion in history; defeated seven-time world champion Hendry at the age of 15; At the age of 17, he became the youngest player to reach the World Championships; At the age of 22, he won the ranking tournament...
Although he has always been considered to have a bright future, Brecel was only a good player in his golden years, and did not win too much reputation around the world, and in terms of the way he played and the final result, Brecel's victory this time can be called a counterattack.
Brecel still kept a normal heart for the results in front of him, "Snooker is a hard sport, fortunately I have the best team, the best family and friends, which keeps me in shape for a long time and becomes so strong..."
Implicitly, persistence is the most important factor in his ability to stand in the championship position – and in this regard, it is very worthy of reference for Chinese snooker players.
Scarlett was the biggest surprise of this World Championship.
The biggest winner of the 2023 World Snooker Championship is undoubtedly Brecel, but it is also an unforgettable experience for Chinese teenager Si Jiahui.
Legendary player Hendry believes that Scarlet is the biggest highlight of this tournament, O'Sullivan compares him to the Trump who was born that year, and Davis has high hopes for Scarlett.
"He is undoubtedly a genius, but he still needs to be tested, and [at this age], whether the experience is good or bad, it is a valuable asset, and with this experience, I believe he will get better in the future."
In part, Brecel's path can serve as an incentive for Scarlett.
At the age of 20, participating in the World Championships for the first time, almost no one can do better than Scarlet on this stage - adjust the mentality and start again, Scarlett's future career is worth looking forward to.