Luca Brecel celebrates after beating Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-10
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Luca Brecel knocked out the reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan from the World Snooker Championship and then revealed he got “drunk as hell” ahead of their quarter-final.
The 28-year-old Belgian has built a reputation as a mercurial talent with the ability to succeed at the highest level but not always the application to go with it. Yet he produced arguably the performance of his career at the Crucible Theatre on Wednesday, rattling off seven frames in a row to knock out the favourite O’Sullivan, who had been chasing an unprecedented eighth world title in the modern era.
Afterwards Brecel revealed his unorthodox preparation away from the table.
“Before the tournament I was out partying, staying up late to 6 or 7am, playing Fifa with my friends, not practising,” Brecel told BBC Sport. “Even after I beat Mark Williams [in the second round] I got home at 7am by car, and then we went out again until 5 or 6 in the morning, drunk as hell. The next day, I had to drive back up again, so it’s a totally different preparation, and it’s working.”
O’Sullivan meanwhile looked a shadow of his best self but graciously credited Brecel for his performance.
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“He played unbelievable, I love watching him play,” O’Sullivan said. “Such a dynamic player, full of talent, probably the most talented player I’ve ever seen and hopefully he goes on and wins it, it would be good for snooker.
“If I’d have put up any resistance, if I’d put some balls away, but I just wasn’t playing well enough to have an impact on the game.”
Brecel will play either Scotland’s Anthony McGill or the hugely impressive 20-year-old Chinese debutant Si Juahui in the semi-finals.
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