World Snooker Championship 2025: Jet-Setting Luca Brecel and Judd Trump Gear Up for Explosive Quarter-Final

Defending world champion Luca Brecel kept his hopes of lifting a second Crucible crown alive after storming to a dominant 13-4 victory over China’s Ding Junhui in the second round.

Ding made a brilliant start, producing a stunning 141 break – his highest ever at the Crucible – in the opening frame of the scheduled three-session encounter. However, the Chinese number one struggled to build on that early momentum as Brecel quickly seized control of the match.

Brecel’s Unstoppable 11-frame Charge 

The "Belgian Bullet" produced some of the finest snooker of his career, surging into a commanding 7-1 lead after the first session. His blistering performance featured four breaks over 50 and two centuries of 121 and 100. Five-time world champion Steve Davis, on commentary duties, even went as far as to call it the best session of exhibition snooker ever witnessed at the famous venue across nearly five decades.

Brecel continued his onslaught in the second session, reeling off four consecutive frames to extend his lead to 11 frames on the spin – two away from victory. 

Ding managed to steady the ship slightly, sharing the next two frames, and finished the session with some pride by crafting superb centuries of 107 and 110. However, trailing 12-4 overnight, the mountain left to climb was all but insurmountable.

Brecel wasted no time in wrapping up the win the following evening, sealing the one frame he needed in just over 15 minutes, much to the disappointment of a Crucible crowd hungry for more snooker.

A Last-Minute Dash with Trossard’s Help

In typical maverick style, Brecel revealed post-match that he had only just made it to the Crucible in time for the opening session. 

He had chartered a private Learjet from Maastricht in the Netherlands, landing at East Midlands Airport at 3:17pm — less than four hours before his scheduled match against Ding.

Brecel explained how Arsenal and Belgium footballer Leandro Trossard helped organise the last-minute trip: “I don’t like to hang around. I always try to get here latest as possible, even like today I come in maybe 15 minutes before the game. That’s always been my way, and as long as it works, it’s good.”

“I booked it the day before. I know [Leandro] Trossard, the Arsenal player, and he sort of arranged it for me. So yeah, that was quite easy.”

Although Brecel declined to disclose how much the private flight cost, it is likely the fee exceeded the £30,000 prize money he earned for reaching the quarterfinals.

Judd Trump Showdown Awaits 

Waiting for Brecel next is world number one Judd Trump – a blockbuster quarterfinal showdown. 

Despite his devastating display against Ding, Brecel was quick to play down his chances when asked about facing Trump: “It won’t be easy, but it will be for Judd [Trump] because he’s used to play so well. For me, it’s not so easy. If I can keep it up, it will be a good game.”

“We play the same game, I guess so. But it’s not easy to play well all the time, and that’s what I have to do against Judd.”

The Belgian star acknowledged that the key to troubling Trump would be winning the scrappier, tactical frames: “Win the scrappy frames, and sometimes when you get the chances make breaks, that’s the most difficult thing to do, so I will be focused on that.”

Trump Surprised but Impressed by Brecel’s Revival 

Trump, who booked his place in the last eight with a second-round victory over reigning Masters champion Shaun Murphy, admitted Brecel’s resurgence had caught him by surprise after a disappointing season that had seen the reigning champion drop provisionally to world number 41.

“A bit of an unexpected tie. I think how Luca played in that first match; I didn’t really give him much of a chance against Ding [Junhui].”

“As you’ve seen in my game, when someone gets a head of stream for three or four frames, it’s a very, very intimidating place to play against.”

“The form Luca showed in the first session; there’s always a lot of comments about how you can’t win a game in the first session, but you can lose it, I don’t agree with that. Luca went out and won the game in that session, and you could see that from Ding’s body language.”

“One good session at the Crucible can make or break it, no matter what distance the game is.”

“And he played some incredible snooker. When he plays like that it’s amazing to watch. It’s just important for me to not make it as easy for him.”

Trump, who made his own mark on the game as a flamboyant young talent, said he sees similarities between himself and Brecel in terms of their natural attacking instincts.

“When I was 21 or 22 and I come here, I thought exactly the same way as him. I didn’t care. I just wanted to go out and play snooker.”

“I’ve seen a lot of comments saying that if he dedicates himself more, he’d be unbelievable. But he wouldn’t.”

“It’s just how carefree he is. If you start practising every day, it means a lot more because it hurts more. I think he’s just got the balance where he can enjoy snooker. I don’t think he could cope with putting six, seven hours a day and taking the losses. That’s the difference between him and me.”

“He’s very happy with his life, and I don’t think anyone can judge someone that’s happy off the table. I think that’s the most important thing.”

“I’d like to see Luca keep that style of play up because even if in a worst case that I was to end up losing, it’d be nice to watch him in the final. It is good for snooker to have these different personalities.”

Brecel’s revival and Trump’s admiration for his opponent’s natural style sets the stage for a thrilling quarterfinal clash — a meeting of two of the most entertaining talents in the sport.