Luca Brecel has revealed he got "drunk as hell" ahead of his shock 13-10 win over Ronnie O’Sullivan at the World Snooker Championship.
The Belgian made a stunning comeback as he won seven frames in a row after entering the third session trailing O'Sullivan 10-6. And after securing his spot in the semi-finals, where he will face either Anthony McGill or Si Jiahui, Brecel opened up about his "terrible" preparation for the tournament.
"It's the biggest win of my career – but I thought before the tournament I could win it," he said. "Before the tournament though my preparation was terrible.
"I was out partying with my friends, playing FIFA all night, playing darts, and hardly practising. Even after getting home after the Mark Williams win I was out drinking that day, I went out until 6am the next morning and was drunk as hell.
"I knew the match had to change today, yesterday I kept getting to within two frames and then losing the next one and not getting close. Ronnie said at the end 'I hope you win it, you're a great player and great to watch' – all of those things, so that was nice of him."
And O'Sullivan heaped praise on Brecel following his defeat, describing the 28-year-old as "probably the most talented snooker player I have ever seen". He told the BBC : "He played unbelievable. He is such a good player and I love watching him. He is such a dynamic player and he is full of talent.
"I would love to go and see him win it just for snooker because that is how the game should be played. Phenomenal player, phenomenal talent and a lovely boy.
"I wish him all the best and I hope he goes on to win the tournament. "If I'd have put up a bit more resistance maybe he wouldn't have played as well but you still have to pot the balls.
"I just wasn't playing well enough to have an impact on the game. If it was a boxing match they'd have stopped it very early because I was pinching frames and hanging on and it catches up with you at some point."
