LUCA BRECEL sensationally reached a maiden World Snooker Championship final as he produced the greatest Crucible comeback EVER.
The battling Belgian won ELEVEN FRAMES in a row as he upset rookie Si Jiahui 17-15 in an astonishing semi-final performance.
It is the most remarkable turnaround witnessed in the 47-year history of baize action staged in this theatre.
Nobody, not even a talent like Ronnie O’Sullivan or Stephen Hendry, had ever fought back like this after falling nine frames behind in a match.
The fightback even surpasses the scenes seen in the 1985 Black Ball Final when Dennis Taylor prevailed despite being 8-0 and 9-1 behind to Steve Davis.
At one point on Friday afternoon, Si, 20, was 14-5 up and everyone was fearing this debutant cueist would win with a session to spare.
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Luca Brecel INTO final after record-breaking comeback over Si Jiahui
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If that had happened it would have meant the 980 punters would have paid £100-plus to watch instead an exhibition, probably involving the colourful Taylor.
But after Friday’s mid-session interval, the Bullet started firing, rattling off the incredible breaks and leaving a helpless Si sitting in his chair with no answer.
Breaks of 108, 60, 66, 53, 70, 81 and 73 ensured he would not be driving back on Saturday across the Channel.
Inspiration came from the presence of his girlfriend Laura, who only obtained a passport on Thursday night and arrived in Sheffield on Friday – her first trip outside of Belgium.
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On Sunday and Monday, Brecel will have the chance over 35 frames to bank the £500,000 top prize and become the first winner of this title from mainland Europe.
Incredible when you think that he had not won a match here before arriving this month – albeit he was fined for being late for the big media day.
Incredible when you think Brecel says he gets BORED whenever he plays the long matches and can sometimes lose concentration.
Seven-time world champion Hendry will certainly owe Brecel one of those very strong Belgian beers as a thank you.
No9 seed Brecel ended O’Sullivan’s historic quest for title number eight in the quarter-finals, coming from seven frames down.
And he has now stopped Jiahui from becoming the youngest winner of the world crown in history, a record held by 21-year-old Stephen Hendry in 1990.
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