It was a day of firsts for Luca Brecel as he stormed to the China Championship title in Guangzhou.
His 10-5 victory against Shaun Murphy saw him land his first ranking title and in doing so become the first man from mainland Europe to capture a major snooker title.
The enormity of this win should not under-estimated, nor should it be taken for granted, but there is most certainly the feeling that this will be the first of many titles to come for Brecel.
The Belgian potter may only be aged 22, but this win has been on the cards for quite some time. Ever since Brecel showed glimpses of extraordinary talent in his early teenage years, he has been touted as a player with the ability to go on and reach fairly extreme levels of success.
He became the youngest player to qualify for the World Championship at The Crucible in 2012 when he was just 17. Despite suffering defeat, he certainly looked at home and as if he would develop into a player who belonged on the biggest stage. He has since gone on to make steady progress on the professional circuit, albeit at a slightly slower rate than his eager fans might have hoped for.
But this win gives him his first piece of silverware in the game and with it takes him into the top 16 in the world rankings for the first time. With this comes qualification to the prestigious Champion of Champions event later this year and puts him well in the hunt to qualify for The Masters next year, which will without doubt boost his reputation in the game further.
💬 Luca Brecel reacts to winning his first career ranking title, and breaking into the Top 16 #ChinaChampionship
Brecel was brilliant in his dispatchment of Murphy, taking full advantage of the fact that the former world champion struggled to find his rhythm. From 3-1 down at the first mid-session interval, he stormed back to win 9 of the next 11 frames and capture the title with plenty to spare.
His ability to quickly rattle off a string of frames is a real quality and is something all the top players are able to do. It means that during longer tournaments, you can hit spells of form where you are able to efficiently and ruthlessly win matches, preserving yourself for the contests that go close and become a battle of attrition.
The timing of this win appears to be significant too. In a little under two months, Belgium will host its first ever ranking tournament in the form of the European Masters being held in Lommel. This victory could see a surge of new support for the home player and will almost certainly give enthusiasm for the game a big boost.
Mainland Europe has for many years been a big part of our growing sport. It has hosted a number of successful tournaments which are usually well attended and enriched by the passion of the fans. Brecel’s win really puts him on the snooker map and gives them a player that they can back to go on and achieve big things.
Luca should definitely be lauded for this milestone moment in his career. He is definitely one of the game’s rare gems. But he will also recognise that he has a number of areas of his game to work on. This is an exciting prospect as we can look forward to seeing him evolve into an even better player and great a champion in the years ahead.
