Luca Brecel fell victim to the so-called “Crucible curse” as the qualifier David Gilbert reeled off the final four frames to claim a stunning 10-9 win over the defending champion on the opening day of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
The Belgian became the 19th first-time champion to fail to defend his title at the famous venue as Gilbert, a semi-finalist in 2019, surged back level with three successive half-centuries then dispatched a nerveless 65 which proved enough to secure a famous win.
When Brecel shook hands with only one snooker required, it marked a stunning end to his kamikaze reign as champion, during which the 29-year-old switched his focus firmly to high-value acquisitions off the table while he struggled to reach a solitary ranking quarter-final on it. For Gilbert, it completed a stunning revival – he had won only one Crucible match in the four years since his run to the last four, during which he found himself frequently questioning his motivation to continue.
“It’s been a while since I won a game in a proper arena so hopefully I can build on it,” said Gilbert. “Even at 8-5 down I went into the dressing room with [my friend] Andy Lee and he had to dodge a few apples, bananas and biscuits flying around the room. I was angry, I was 8-5 down and I felt I should be ahead, but I did say to him, I’m getting chances and if I find my rhythm I could still win.”
A missed green off its spot when Brecel stood on the verge of victory at 9-8 proved one of many decisive moments as the defending champion mixed a display of stunning potting with wild shot choices and careless errors that constantly prevented him from making the decisive move.
The Belgian had blasted two centuries and two more breaks over 70 in a quickfire opening session that he shaded 6-3, seemingly dispelling fears that he was returning to Sheffield woefully ill-prepared to avoid the fate of so many former champions.
A break of 115 helped Gilbert hang on to his opponent’s coat-tails but he failed to take a series of chances in the early stages of their resumption, and Brecel had one foot in the last 16 at 9-6 before Gilbert summoned his dramatic twist.
Brecel, who refused to blame the effects of a mystery virus for his defeat, said he was “relieved” that his high-profile year as champion had come to an end.
“It was a good year, and now I can look forward to being a non-world champion again,” said Brecel. “I’ve been wanting the season to end for a long time, so I’m quite relieved. I don’t like the attention, when everyone says ‘Oh, it’s the world champion’. It’s not my thing.
“I’ve been ill since Saudi [in early March] and maybe if I hadn’t been defending champion I would have pulled out. But I’m not using that as an excuse. Dave is a fantastic player, he probably should have won before and I really hope he goes on to win it.”
Earlier, Judd Trump rode his luck to establish a 6-3 overnight lead over Hossein Vafaei. Trump, the No 3 seed, looked sharp and focused against the dangerous Iranian qualifier, but Vafaei was left to rue a series of missed opportunities. They will resume on Sunday afternoon.
Vafaei could easily have headed into the mid-session interval with a 4-0 lead over the 2019 champion, but instead it was Trump who kept his nerve to carve a 3-1 advantage that he never looked likely to relinquish.
Stephen Maguire produced two centuries but could not shake off the ninth seed, Ali Carter, who takes a 5-4 lead into their conclusion on Sunday. The Scot, a two-time semi-finalist, made a storming start with breaks of 93 and 114 but showed his frustration as untimely errors scattered the rest of the session, before a nervy 55 in the ninth frame enabled him to keep in touch with Carter, the two-time former finalist.
Zhang Anda, the 11th seed, trails 5-2 after the opening session against the qualifier Jak Jones in a low-quality match that was hauled off two frames early due to slow play.