Luca Brecel’s luck was in on Monday as he finished off Ding Junhui to book his place in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship.
The 2023 champion has shown glimpses of the form that sparked his surreal success in Sheffield two years ago, and his latest win was inevitable as he started the evening session just one frame away at 12-4.
After the restart, he duly took control again, building up a 42-0 lead. However, a poor positional shot on the blue left him impeded by the yellow ball, forcing him into a change of plan. After deliberation, the Belgian player instead chose to line up the pink to the bottom pocket.
A flustered Brecel missed the pot, the pink cannoning out of the jaws and back up the table. However, in a spectacular bit of luck, it bounced back off two cushions and nestled into the middle pocket to all but seal the frame.
“Can you believe that?” said BBC commentator Dennis Taylor. “Ding Junhui can’t believe what he’s just seen there. That’s one of the best flukes you’ll ever see. Have a look at this here. Boy oh boy.”
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