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Ronnie O’Sullivan: Luca Brecel win over Si Jiahui the greatest comeback in World Snooker Championship history
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Published 29/04/2023 at 19:55 GMT+1
Luca Brecel looked down and out when trailing Si Jiahui 14-5 in the semi-finals of the World Championship, but the Belgian produced a staggering fightback to claim a 17-15 success. Seven-time Crucible winner Ronnie O’Sullivan felt it was the greatest comeback in the history of the Sheffield venue. Brecel will face either Mark Selby or Mark Allen in the final.
‘Dead and buried!’ – O’Sullivan and White hail Brecel comeback
Video credit: TNT Sports
Luca Brecel fought back from nine frames behind to beat Si Jiahui to reach the World Championship final, and Ronnie O’Sullivan felt it was the greatest comeback in Crucible history.
The Belgian looked cooked at 14-5 down, but he capitalised on some tightness from his opponent to seal a stunning 17-15 success.
“I was thinking about losing with a session to spare,” Brecel said in the Eurosport studio. “Even at 14-8, 14-9, I was still so far behind you do not think of winning.
“But when it got to 14-14, I started believing then.
“I don’t know how I did it. I was very calm, even at the end. Happy.”
Brecel was full of praise for Si, as he said: “It was the closest thing to perfection, the way he played.
“I said to him at the end ‘you are a superstar’. That is all he needs to hear.”
Looking ahead to the final, Brecel said: “I will chill out, maybe a couple of drinks.
“I am not thinking about tomorrow too much. Today was about fighting to the end, I said I was going to put everything I have into it and see where it takes me.
“Probably tomorrow when I wake up I will be building myself up again and go again, but I will be playing free-flowing snooker because it is a bonus to be in the final.”
There have been some epic comebacks at the Crucible, Dennis Taylor in the 1985 final against Steve Davis the most famous, but O’Sullivan feels Brecel reeling off 11 unanswered frames before closing out the victory trumps it.
“It has to be [the greatest comeback ever],” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio. “14-5 down, it is unbelievable.”
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‘Dead and buried!’ – O’Sullivan and White hail Brecel comeback
Video credit: TNT Sports
Reflecting on Brecel’s performance, O’Sullivan said: “He played well under pressure. He does not think, he plays so fast and just gets on with it.
"His cue action is so fluid and loose, and it plays well under pressure.
“The way the young kid was playing, if he did not get tight he would have won the match. Luca sensed it and he got on a roll. The frames were going past at a rapid speed and the other guy was choking.”
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