34 Facts About Luca Brecel

Luca Brecel is a Belgian professional snooker player.

Luca Brecel became the first player from mainland Europe to win a ranking event when he won the 2017 China Championship, and then went on to win other ranking events: the 2021 Scottish Open and 2022 Championship League.

Luca Brecel is the youngest player to compete in the World Snooker Championship, making his debut in 2012, aged 17 years and 45 days, and the first player from mainland Europe to have won the event.

Luca Brecel won the 2011 European Under-19 title at the age of 14, and turned professional the following month.

Luca Brecel's father Carlo was a "hail hunter", following storms to work repairing the damage from them, and his mother Mirella was a homemaker.

Luca Brecel took up snooker when he was nine, after playing pool with his father during a family holiday.

The family lived in Maasmechelen, where Luca Brecel started coaching from Danny Moermans, and later moved to a property where they installed a snooker table he could use.

Luca Brecel was removed from school so that he could be home tutored and spend more time practicing the game.

Luca Brecel scored his first competitive century break at 12.

Around this time, Luca Brecel's family relocated to a larger home in Maasmechelen so they could fit a full-size practice table.

Luca Brecel was one of eight players who participated in the new Power Snooker tournament at the indigO2 in October 2010, alongside then reigning world champion Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Ali Carter, Shaun Murphy, Jimmy White, and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Luca Brecel was defeated by eventual winner O'Sullivan in the first round.

In December 2010, Luca Brecel was named Belgian Sportsman of the Year in the Promising Talent category.

Luca Brecel turned professional in the following month, beating Anthony Hamilton in his first official professional match.

In January 2012, Luca Brecel made his first maximum break in an amateur tournament.

Luca Brecel played in all 12 of the minor-ranking Players Tour Championship events throughout the season, with his best finishes coming in Event 2, Event 8 and Event 9, where he reached the last 32 each time.

Luca Brecel became the youngest ever player to qualify for the World Snooker Championship at the 2012 event, after defeating Ian McCulloch, Barry Pinches, Michael Holt and Mark King.

Barry Hearn, the chairman of World Snooker said the decision was made as it would be a "loss to the sport" if Luca Brecel did not feature.

Luca Brecel was awarded the Rookie of the Year Award at the World Snooker Annual Award Ceremony.

In July 2012, Luca Brecel made his second maximum break in an amateur tournament.

Luca Brecel lost in the last 64 of both the Gdynia Open and the Antwerp Open to Mark Joyce and Stuart Bingham respectively.

Luca Brecel won his first round match but was beaten by Mark Davis in the second round.

Luca Brecel finished 51st on the PTC Order of Merit.

Luca Brecel ended his second year as a professional ranked world number 72.

Luca Brecel finished 39th on the European Order of Merit and inside the top 64 in the world ranking for the first time, at number 63.

Luca Brecel lost the first three frames, but won the next five, to reach the first ranking semi-final of his professional career.

Luca Brecel moved up 19 places in the rankings to finish 44th in the world.

Luca Brecel lost in the final of the 2016 Snooker Shoot-Out to Robin Hull.

Luca Brecel won his first ranking title, the 2017 China Championship in August 2017.

Luca Brecel's victory propelled him into the top 16 of the rankings for the first time.

At the 2018 Northern Ireland Open, Luca Brecel lost in the last 16 to the eventual winner Judd Trump.

Luca Brecel reached the last 16 in the 2019 Snooker Shoot Out and the semi-finals of the non-ranking 2018 Six-red World Championship and the 2019 China Open.

Luca Brecel finished this season again as world number 19.

O'Sullivan subsequently said he would like to see Luca Brecel go on to win the tournament.