Luca Brecel reaches quarter-finals
Belgian teenager Luca Brecel stunned veteran Mark King with a thrilling fightback to reach the UK Championship quarter-finals.
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There was no panic from the 17-year-old when he fell 3-0 behind in the early stages, and a run of five frames in a row took him to the brink of victory.
Romford potter King, 38, edged back to within one frame, but Brecel seized his chance in the next and a brilliant long red clinched the 6-4 victory.
For King it was a second painful defeat to Brecel this year, having been beaten 10-8 by the precocious youngster in April in the final round of World Championship qualifying.
World number two Mark Selby also edged through to the last eight.
He too came from 3-0 behind on the other table to knock out Ryan Day 6-4.
Brecel said of his win: "It's amazing, unbelievable. It was a great match for me. I was feeling very bad and I wanted to go home. But in the fourth frame everything changed.
"After the first frame I won I gained in confidence. It was an amazing moment at the end."
Brecel knocked out Ricky Walden in the first round, riding his luck against a player who was well below his best, and then found King struggling to perform after letting the early lead slip away.
Brecel said: "I've not really surprised myself with how I've done.
"I'm still not playing well so hopefully in the next game I can play a bit better. It's good to be here. Nearly everyone's supporting me, so that's good.
"People expect a lot from me but I'm only 17 so I have time enough to develop my game."
Before the tournament, Brecel was a title outsider, but he faces Shaun Murphy next and believes he can go on to lift the trophy on Sunday.
That would make him the youngest winner of a ranking title, and he said: "I can win, but we'll see what happens."
Australian Neil Robertson was largely untroubled by Barry Hawkins tonight, beating the Kent man 6-2, aided by breaks of 57, 67 and a closing 68. The 2010 world champion will tackle Selby tomorrow, with a semi-final place at stake.
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