Resurgent Luca Brecel believes he is playing well enough to win more titles and he reached round three of the Unibet British Open with a 4-2 defeat of Tian Pengfei.
World Champion in 2023, Brecel has struggled for results in ranking events over the past 16 months, and currently lies 58th on the provisional end of season list. But the 29-year-old Belgian has regained his enthusiasm for practice and is also working hard on his fitness with regular cycling.
Breaks of 54 and 65 helped him build a 3-1 lead tonight, then Tian made a 133 to win frame and was unlucky not to make it 3-3 as he potted the final black in frame six, only for the cue ball to roll the length of the table and drop into a baulk corner.
"I'm playing the best I have ever played in practice, and in matches I am making progress," said Brecel, who now meets Anton Kazakov or Liam Davies. "Everything is sharp and I am in a good space. I am looking forward to this season more than ever. There are a couple of things to improve and I have not been used to winning a lot of games in a row, but I feel I am playing well enough to win the tournament.
"I have lost around ten kilos so I am feeling fit off the table. Cycling is great because I love being outdoors, it's good for my body and mind. I used to look at rankings but not any more, I don't even know where I am. It doesn't matter because the way I am playing, I am never going to be really low. People keep busy with rankings. Did they really believe that Neil Robertson was never going to come back? If you are good, then you will always be good."
Judd Trump is still waiting for his 1,000th career century, stuck on 999, but he'll have another chance on Thursday as he beat Ryan Day 4-2 with a top break of 80. Trump will now face Mark Davis, who first played in this tournament in 1992. Veteran Davis scored a 4-2 success against Xiao Guodong.
Crucible runner-up Jak Jones saw off Alfie Burden 4-0, while 2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham beat Bulcsu Revesz 4-0 with a top run of 84.