Luca Brecel reaches Snooker World Championship final

Luca Brecel produced a stunning comeback to defeat Si Jiahui and book his place in the World Championship final against four-time world champion Mark Selby at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. 

Brecel fell behind 14-5 against the 20-year-old Chinese qualifier before winning 11 consecutive frames, overturning the largest deficit in the tournament's history, to secure a remarkable 17-15 victory. 

Brecel had earlier eliminated seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarterfinals, winning seven straight frames from behind. Si, bidding to become the youngest Crucible finalist and the first debutant world champion since 1979, displayed impressive composure to end Brecel's run of 11 frames with a break of 91. However, Brecel held his nerve to close out the match with a stunning success.

Si acknowledged that Brecel had played "nearly perfect" snooker in the closing two sessions but felt that his own safety had let him down. "I have realized there are flaws in my game. There are so many things I can still improve, so in the coming season I will be confident I can beat anyone," said Si.

Selby, last crowned world champion in 2021, reached his sixth world final with a 17-15 victory over Northern Ireland's Mark Allen. Selby had held a slender 11-10 lead heading into the final session before winning five consecutive frames, including a break of 103, to take control of the match. However, Allen then won the next five frames before Selby closed out the match in the 32nd frame.

The match ended at 12:47 am local time, just 12 hours before the scheduled start of the final. Selby was relieved to secure the victory, admitting that he had missed several chances to seal the win. "Luca will be fresh, he has had a night off, but if it means I only get 10 hours and play in the World Championship final, I'd rather have that than have 24 hours off and be driving home," said Selby.

Brecel, meanwhile, was ecstatic about his win. "To win is absolutely unbelievable. It is the biggest game of my life. I was in disbelief, I was shaking," said Brecel. The 28-year-old Belgian has now reached his first world final, having never previously got past the first round.

The Brecel vs Selby final promises to be an enthralling encounter between two players in good form. While Brecel will be fresh after his stunning comeback against Si, Selby will be looking to secure his fifth world championship title. The final is expected to be a thrilling conclusion to what has been an exciting tournament.