World Snooker Championship 2023 results: Luca Brecel into final after stunning comeback win over Si Jiahui

Luca Brecel won 11 frames in a row during the greatest-ever Crucible comeback as he beat Si Jiahui 17-15 to reach the World Championship final.

Having resumed 14-10 down on Saturday he compiled breaks of 70, 81 and 73 as he completed a remarkable turnaround.

Four-time world champion Mark Selby leads Mark Allen 11-10 in the other semi-final.

Brecel stunned seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals by rattling off seven unanswered frames to come from 10-6 down to progress 13-10.

However, after being out of sorts in the opening two sessions which Chinese debutant Si had dominated, this revival was every bit as remarkable with only two players – Ken Doherty in the 2003 final and Dennis Taylor in his epic 18-17 black-ball final triumph over Steve Davis – having previously overturned eight-frame deficits to win at the Crucible.

A visibly emotional Brecel, who sank down and looked at the table after rolling in a match-clinching blue, told BBC Sport: “I told my girlfriend that if I win it’ll be the most emotional feeling ever and the most crazy feeling inside my body.

“I could not believe it when I got the chance at the end. I was shaking so much and to win means so much in such a tough game and in such a big tournament.

“I could never dream of winning from 14-5. It is crazy. The way I played to come back was not scrappy, I just played great snooker and that’s the most important thing. Mentally I have always been quite strong and in the last couple of seasons I have improved in that department.”

Brecel had not even won a match in his five previous visits to Sheffield before this year, despite becoming the youngest-ever player to compete in the tournament in 2012 as a 17-year-old.

Cheered on by his friends and girlfriend, who arrived from Belgium on Friday, he racked up 916 points to Si’s 179 between the 20th and 30th frames of the match.

It was a heartbreaking ending to Si’s tournament, with his fearless attacking style and unflappable disposition en route to the last four earning him a multitude of admirers.

The 20-year-old, who will climb from 80th to 36th in the world rankings, was a relative unknown when the tournament got under way 14 days ago but can take great satisfaction from making a lasting impression on the sport’s greatest stage.

“In the last session my mindset changed,” Si told BBC Sport.

“I really wanted to win and I felt really nervous and couldn’t really get going. I am feeling disappointed but not too disappointed. He played nearly perfect snooker in the last two sessions.”

Si was not even on the professional circuit 12 months ago, with his best performance prior to this coming with a quarter-final appearance at the European Masters.

But his temperament and ability to handle pressure was given its sternest examination as a barrage of Brecel pots saw the 2021 Scottish Open and 2022 Championship League winner take five consecutive frames on Friday evening to cut his lead – before he continued his fightback on Saturday.

An opening break of 70 saw Brecel maintain his momentum as Si appeared to exhibit signs that the pressure of the occasion and chance to become the youngest World Championship finalist at the Crucible was beginning to tell.

A difficult missed long red, plus his failure to dispatch more elementary pots on the yellow with the rest and a red to the corner, gave Brecel plenty of encouragement and the 28-year-old also won a tense 28th frame, the longest of the match, on the blue to draw level at 14-14 after Si had threatened to take a two-frame advantage into the interval.

Having gone 16-14 up with a 73, the pressure appeared to switch back on to Brecel when Si crafted a superb break of 91 to claw his way back to 16-15, but ‘the Belgian Bullet’ knocked in a sensational pot on the red into the right corner to help clinch victory in a nervy 32nd frame.

Analysis – Brecel did it with ‘swagger’

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry on BBC Two

It is a phenomenal achievement from Luca and he didn’t do it by trying to upset his opponent by trying to tie him up with safety. He did it with swagger and belief in his own game.

I think that is the most impressive thing. He didn’t change his approach, he just played his normal game and trusted it.

1991 world champion John Parrott on BBC Two

It was nothing more than Luca deserved after sitting in his chair 14-5 down. You can feel very sorry for yourself but he dug in and showed tremendous grit as well as his natural talent.

To be that fluent, make those breaks and then cut that red in the final frame into the corner – he will remember that for the rest of his life.

It turned out to be one match too far for Si. I had never seen him hit a ball before this tournament but I’ve been very impressed.

He is clever, his match-play is of a high quality and he is fearless. He is going to have a very big career.

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