Luca Brecel admits he is feeling good about his chances of extending his fine run at the Champion of Champions after adding Mark Selby to his list of scalps in Coventry. The Belgian had earlier beaten Judd Trump 4-0 in less than 50 minutes and showed similar class against the world champion on Wednesday evening. Selby only arrived back in the UK on Tuesday after winning the International Championship in Daqing but having beaten Liang Wenbo earlier in the day, looked in good shape as he opened with a 125.
However, Brecel hit back to lead 3-1 at the interval and repeatedly answered Selby’s questions to eventually claim a 6-4 win and book his place in the semi-finals where he will face Shaun Murphy, a match he is 17/20 to win, with his opponent also 17/20. The Belgian Bullet’s run has been made all the more remarkable by the fact he has been playing with a new cue having lost the one he used during his victory at the China Championship. Next up is a semi-final against Murphy on Saturday and the 22-year-old, who is 10/3 to win the tournament, is confident he can continue to upset the odds.
“When I saw the draw I knew it would be very tough, especially not playing with my own cue,” he said. “It was a big test for me but I succeeded. I felt so confident after the first frame against Trump and to beat Judd like that is amazing. “When you get in front against Mark you know it will be tough but I have had good experiences in close games this season, so I was confident of winning. “I have played Shaun a lot over the last few years, we have four wins each, so it will be a tough game and I think it will be an aggressive game as well on Saturday.”
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.