Luca Brecel facts for kids
Brecel at the 2022 European Masters
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| Born | 8 March 1995 Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium |
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| Sport country |  Belgium |
| Professional | 2011–present |
| Highest ranking | 2 (May 2023) |
| Current ranking | 15 (as of 8 May 2018) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 4 |
| World Champion | 2023 |
Luca Brecel (born March 8, 1995) is a professional snooker player from Belgium. He is famous for winning the 2023 World Snooker Championship. This made him the first player from mainland Europe to win this big event!
Luca has won four major snooker tournaments. In the 2023 World Championship final, he beat Mark Selby 18-15. Before that, in the semi-final, he made an amazing comeback. He was losing 5-14 to Si Jiahui but managed to win 17-15. This was the biggest comeback ever in the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
He also made history in 2017 by becoming the first player from mainland Europe to win a ranking event, the 2017 China Championship. He later won the 2021 Scottish Open and the 2022 Championship League. Luca is also the youngest player to ever play in the World Snooker Championship. He first played in 2012 when he was just 17 years old.
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Early Life and Amateur Career
Luca Brecel was born on March 8, 1995, in Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium. He started playing snooker when he was nine years old. He first played pool with his dad during a family holiday.
Luca got coaching and even had a snooker table at home to practice. He left school to be tutored at home so he could spend more time on snooker. By age 12, he made his first "century break." This means he scored 100 points or more in one turn.
In 2009, when he was 14, Luca became the youngest European Under-19 champion. He beat Michael Wasley 6-5. He was too young to join the professional tour then, as the minimum age was 16.
Later that year, he beat famous players like Jimmy White and Ken Doherty. In 2010, he even beat seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry in a friendly game. He also became the Belgian senior champion. In December 2010, Luca was named "Belgian Sportsman of the Year" for promising young talent.
Professional Career
Starting as a Pro (2011–2015)
Luca Brecel became a professional snooker player in 2011. He was given a special entry to the main tour. In his first official professional match, he beat Anthony Hamilton.
In 2012, at just 17 years and 45 days old, Luca became the youngest player ever to qualify for the World Snooker Championship. He broke the record set by Stephen Hendry. Even though he lost his first match at the World Championship, it was a big achievement.
Because he was so talented, he was given a special two-year pass to stay on the tour. He also won the "Rookie of the Year Award."
Luca continued to improve. In 2012, he reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 UK Championship. He won his first two matches in a big tournament before losing a close game to Shaun Murphy. By 2014, he was ranked among the top 64 players in the world.
In 2015, he had a great run at the Welsh Open. He beat the world number one player, Mark Selby, and reached his first semi-final in a ranking event. This helped him move up to 44th in the world rankings.
First Big Wins (2015–2019)
In 2016, Luca reached his first ranking event final at the 2016 German Masters. He played well but lost to Martin Gould. He also reached the final of the 2016 Snooker Shoot-Out, a faster version of snooker, but lost there too.
His biggest moment came in August 2017 when he won his first ranking title, the 2017 China Championship. He had an amazing tournament, beating top players like Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy in the final. This win put him into the top 16 players in the world for the first time.
Later in 2017, he reached the semi-finals of the World Open. He also played in the 2017 Champion of Champions tournament, where he beat Judd Trump and Mark Selby before losing in the semi-finals.
Becoming World Champion (2020–Present)
In 2020, Luca won a non-ranking tournament called the Championship League. This was a good boost for him.
In 2021, he reached the final of the 2021 UK Championship, one of snooker's biggest tournaments. He was the first player from mainland Europe to reach a "Triple Crown" event final. He played very well but lost to Zhao Xintong. However, this moved him up significantly in the world rankings.
Just a week later, Luca won his second ranking event, the Scottish Open, by beating John Higgins in the final.
During the 2022-2023 season, Luca won his third ranking title at the 2022 Championship League. He also reached the final of the 2022 English Open.
The biggest highlight of his career came at the 2023 World Snooker Championship. After five tries, he finally won his first match at this tournament. He then beat three-time winner Mark Williams. In the quarter-finals, he faced the defending champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Luca was losing 6-10 but won all seven frames in the final session to win 13-10!
In the semi-final, he made an incredible comeback against Si Jiahui. He was losing 5-14 but won eleven frames in a row to take the lead and eventually won the match 17-15. In the final, he played against four-time champion Mark Selby. Luca won 18-15, becoming the first player from continental Europe to win the World Snooker Championship. He was also the first champion not from Australia, Canada, Ireland, or the United Kingdom.
In the 2023-2024 season, Luca reached the final of two non-ranking tournaments, the Shanghai Masters and the World Masters of Snooker. He lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan in both. At the 2024 World Championship, he lost in the first round.
Career Highlights
Luca Brecel has had an exciting career with many achievements:
- He has won 4 ranking titles, including the 2023 World Snooker Championship.
- He has reached 3 ranking finals as a runner-up.
- He has won 1 non-ranking title and reached 4 non-ranking finals as a runner-up.
- He has won 5 pro-am titles and reached 1 pro-am final as a runner-up.
- He won the 2024 World Mixed Doubles with Reanne Evans.
- As an amateur, he won 9 titles, including the European Under-19 Championship and the European Amateur Championship.
See also
In Spanish: Luca Brecel para niños
