Luca Brecel revived memories of his 2023 Crucible triumph as he came from 5-1 down to beat Ryan Day 10-7 in the first round of the Halo World Championship.
Belgium's Brecel is into the last 16 for only the second time in his career, having lost his opening match on six of his seven previous appearances. The only exception came two years ago when he went all the way to the title. This time he will meet Ding Junhui over a possible 25 frames on Saturday, Sunday and Monday,
Since that memorable 2023 triumph, Brecel has had few highlights on the baize. While he has reached the final of three invitation events, he has not gone that far in any ranking event, and will drop out of the top 16 of the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings unless he wins the title again in Sheffield. In fact defeat today would have left him 48th in the world going into next season, though today's vital result will boost him into the top 40.
There were moments today when his inspirational shot-making and flamboyant style reminded fans of his success two years ago, when he knocked out the likes of Mark Williams and Ronnie O'Sullivan to reach the final before beating Mark Selby. The 30-year-old is unlikely to change his all-or-nothing approach and will hope his game clicks in time for another deep run.
Leading 5-4 going into the concluding session, Welshman Day soon doubled his lead with a break of 101. Brecel took two scrappy frames to recover to 6-6, then in the 13th he got the better of a safety battle on the yellow, laying a tough snooker which created the chance to clear as he took the lead for the first time. In frame 14, Day missed a straight-forward red to a top corner on 62 but Brecel's attempted counter reached just 8 before he failed to pot a red to the same pocket, and this time Day took advantage with 64 for 7-7.
Brecel dominated the 15th with runs of 46 and 42. The next came down to a battle on the final black, and three-time Crucible quarter-finalist Day went for a double to a centre pocket but lost control of the cue ball and it dropped into a baulk corner, leaving him 9-7 behind. Both players missed chances in the 17th, Day crucially under-cutting the black to a top corner when he trailed 37-14 with two reds left. Brecel later trapped him in a snooker on the last red, and soon made it past the winning post.
"The way I play is unique, I guess it's not boring!" said Brecel, who has lost weight and gained fitness through regular running and cycling in recent months. "I was 5-1 down but I hadn't had many chances at that stage. I never panicked because I have made so many comebacks here. From 5-3 down I felt I couldn't lose. No disrespect to Ryan because we all know what he is capable of, but I felt so relaxed and I could see he was nervous.
"The way I play, everything needs to work. I am too lazy to change that. So if it doesn't work I will go home. Since the Welsh Open I have practised every day for two months. I had a new tip which I am not used to and that was a problem in the first session, I need more time with it. In the balls I am ok, but on long pots I am just guessing. Ding is a bit like Ryan, he can miss anything and pot anything - a bit like me as well. It could be scrappy or it could be a great game."
Day said: "I let it slip from 5-1 up. I didn't feel comfortable, I was always looking over my shoulder. My game is not what it once was, and I have to come to terms with that because I'm not getting any younger. It has been the same for a long time. In the past I would have beaten myself up, playing like that, but not any more because I have learned to accept it. I still try my best and enjoy competing, I just haven't got the game to play as well as I want to."
Meanwhile, qualifier Chris Wakelin is looking to build on his first round victory over Neil Robertson by taking another top 16 scalp and he leads Mark Allen 6-2 after the opening session of their second round battle.
Breaks of 56 and 69 put world number 20 Wakelin 2-0 ahead before two-time Crucible semi-finalist Allen pulled one back with a run of 100. The next two were shared, then Allen failed to pot a ball in the last three of the session as Wakelin compiled breaks of 84 and 53 in building a handy cushion. They return at 10am on Friday to play eight more frames, with the concluding session on Friday evening. First to 13 will progress to the quarter-finals to meet Zhao Xintong or Lei Peifan.