Luca Brecel has been the standout star of the snooker season so far – collecting more prize money than any other player, capturing his first major title and forcing his way into the top 16 of the world rankings for the first time.
It’s obvious he is riding the crest of a wave and it will be all eyes on him this week as the headline act at the European Masters, which marks a first ranking event to be held in Belgium in 23 years.
Brecel starts out against Sam Craigie in one of the three last 128 matches to be held over to the main venue and it is Thailand’s Thor Chuan Leong waiting for the winner.
As well as being the natural poster boy for this event, Luca plays the kind of box office snooker to match the hype too. He is a confident and positive player who will be desperate to go again and rubberstamp his early season form with another star performance.
To advance to the business end of this event, he’ll have a tough job as he lines up in the same quarter of the draw as Mark Selby, Stuart Bingham and Joe Perry.
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The last edition of the European Masters was held in Bucharest a year ago where Judd Trump picked up the title at the expense of Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final.
He’s here to defend his title and sets off in the same quarter as in-form players David Gilbert, Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen.
Elsewhere in the draw, Neil Robertson looks like he could run into Mark Williams in the last 16 in what could be one of the ties of the tournament, while John Higgins is among the pre-tournament favourites and could have to see off compatriot Ants McGill in his quarter.
Events in mainland Europe always produce a decent buzz. It’s yet another opportunity for European fans to show just how far the game has come and how enthusiasm and passion for the sport remains at an all-time high.
We are all aware of the snooker boom in China and with it comes a conveyor belt of talented players trying to make their mark on the professional circuit.
While Europe may be a way behind in terms of producing a high volume of competitive players, you only have to take one look at the attendances when snooker comes to town to appreciate that it could all be change over the next decade.
