Luca Brecel fell sufferer to the so-called “Crucible curse” because the qualifier David Gilbert reeled off the ultimate 4 frames to assert a shocking 10-9 win over the defending champion on the opening day of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
The Belgian turned the nineteenth first-time champion to fail to defend his title on the well-known venue as Gilbert, a semi-finalist in 2019, surged again degree with three successive half-centuries then dispatched a nerveless 65 which proved sufficient to safe a well-known win.
When Brecel shook fingers with just one snooker required, it marked a shocking finish to…