The Crucible were on their feet in disbelief at the scenes they were witnessing.
Luca Brecel produced one of the most breathtaking sessions of snooker the World Championship has ever seen, prompting the Crucible crowd to get on their feet for a standing ovation. It was a flashback to the 2023 edition when Brecel shocked the world to take the title, turning back the dial to build up a 7-1 lead over Ding Junhui.
The Belgian Bullet returned to his homeland after beating Ryan Day in his first-round match, then headed back to Sheffield via private jet and arrived only 25 minutes before his tie with Ding was due to begin. Ding fired in a sublime 141 to kickstart proceedings. But any notion of jetlag was quickly dispelled as Brecel fired in breaks 121, 78, 55, 100 and 88, winning seven frames on the spin at just 17.5 seconds per shot.
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