Luca Brecel had already beaten John Higgins in the final of the Scottish Open at the end of December and had also received a boost from his stunt against Judd Trump. The Belgian Bullet therefore started its semi-final with full confidence.
Brecel opened with a scorching start, barely made any mistakes and went straight to 3-0. But Higgins only needed one chance to turn it around. The Scot won 5 frames in a row to end the afternoon session with a lead.
When Higgins, the four-time world champion, also won the first frame of the evening session, Brecel faced a tough challenge. But the Belgian did not give up, fought back and with some sublime games he balanced the plates again: 7-7.
Higgins realized he couldn’t give Brecel many more chances. At 8-7, Brecel struggled to turn the situation around, but missed a crucial red ball. In the decisive frame, Higgins let his experience speak.
The Scot will play the final against Neil Robertson on Sunday, who won the thriller against Ronnie O’Sullivan (10-9) on Friday evening. Brecel will go to the World Cup in The Crucible with confidence in mid-April.
Luca Brecel was able to place his defeat. Due to the delivery of a snooker table in his new home, there was not much training in the house. “I hadn’t practiced enough,” he admitted honestly. “This is the highest level and I made too many mistakes. I never felt very sharp.”
“I am happy that I can now prepare for the World Cup for two weeks. It was busy for this tournament and I had to make choices. But I am happy that I was able to beat Judd Trump and made it to the semi-finals.”
