Luca Brecel

Ranking titles: Four

Career highlights

2009: Becomes the youngest ever winner of the European Under-19 Championship, age just 14.
2012: Becomes the youngest player to compete at the Crucible, aged 17, and underlines his potential with a run to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship.
2015: Makes the semi-finals of the Welsh Open in Cardiff.
2016: Reaches maiden professional final at the Shoot Out, before reaching his first full ranking final at the German Masters, losing out to Martin Gould.
2017: Wins first ranking title with victory at the China Championship in Guangzhou, knocking out Ronnie O’Sullivan on his way to the final before beating Shaun Murphy 10-5. This makes him the first player ever from continental Europe to win a ranking event.
2019: Semi-finalist at the China Open.
2020: Wins his second professional title at the Matchroom.Live Championship League, making a break of 111 in the last frame of the tournament against Ben Woollaston to clinch the trophy.
2021: Reaches the final of the UK Championship, becoming the first player from mainland Europe to compete in a Triple Crown final, but loses 10-5 to Zhao Xintong. Wins his second ranking title at the Scottish Open, beating John Higgins 9-5 in the final.
2022: Wins his third ranking title with victory in the Championship League. After coming through the group phases, he beats Lu Ning 3-1 in the final. Reaches the final of the English Open before losing to Mark Selby.
2023: Enjoys his best career moment, beating Mark Selby 18-15 in the final of the World Championship to become the first player from mainland Europe to conquer the Crucible. Brecel knocks out Ricky Walden, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams to reach the semi-finals before a Crucible record comeback against Si Jiahui, from 14-5 down to win 17-15. The £500,000 top prize boosts him to second in the world rankings. Reaches the final of the Shanghai Masters before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan.