Luca Brecel says it was the ‘most emotional and crazy feeling ever’ to complete the biggest comeback in Crucible history to beat Si Jiahui and reach the World Championship final.
The Belgian Bullet found himself 14-5 down to the 20-year-old but then reeled off 11 frames on the spin, eventually winning 17-15 and booking his spot in the Sheffield showpiece.
It was stunning stuff from the 28-year-old, which added another amazing result to his wins over Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and Ricky Walden this year at the Crucible.
“When it was 14-14, in the dressing room I said to my girlfriend, if I win this game it’s going to be the most emotional and crazy feeling ever,” Brecel told the BBC.
‘I couldn’t believe it when I got the chance at the end. I was shaking so much. To win means so much, such a tough game, such a big tournament, the biggest there is. Unbelievable.
‘I could never dream of something like this. 14-5 [down]. 17-15. Crazy.
‘You cannot describe this feeling, you never expect to win this game. All of a sudden you have a match ball and you know you’re not going to miss it. Unbelievable. No words.
‘At 14-5 I was feeling great, feeling sharp, he was just playing perfect snooker, to be honest.
‘The way I came back, I didn’t play scrappy frames, I wasn’t lucky to win. I just played great snooker to come back. Even if I would have lost it would have been great to come back like that against such a great player.
‘Mentally I’ve always been quite strong but the last couple of seasons I’ve improved in that department. Fantastic. What a great venue to play in, with such a crowd.’
On the reaction to his amazing run back in Belgium, Brecel said it has been huge news as he became the first player from mainland Europe to reach the final in South Yorkshire.
‘It’s unbelievable, it’ is bigger than any other tournament I’ve ever played,’ he said on Eurosport. ‘So many people messaging me, a lot of famous people as well. Just crazy the way it’s happening in Belgium, in all of the newspapers.
‘It’s everywhere, my name is everywhere, people must be fed up with my name. Unbelievable.’
Brecel will be facing either Mark Selby or Mark Allen in the final, with their semi-final being played to a conclusion on Saturday night.
It will be a huge challenge against either man, but the Bullet promises to attack whoever it takes.
‘I’m going to be playing free-flowing snooker because it’s a bonus to be in the final,’ he said.
MORE : Luca Brecel completes greatest Crucibe comeback to beat Si Jiahui in World Snooker Championship semi-finals
MORE : Ronnie O’Sullivan fears for Si Jiahui’s career if Luca Brecel completes Crucible comeback
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