World Champion Luca Brecel had to race against time after a delayed flight almost kept him from playing Iulian Boiko in the first round of the BetVictor Scottish Open. However, the Belgian made it in time, winning 4-0 to go to the second round in Edinburgh.
After the match between Mark Williams and Sam Craigie this afternoon, Brecel was scheduled to be the second game. Brecel was still at Edinburgh airport when Williams led 3-0. But Craigie pulled off an amazing comeback to win 4-3 and give Brecel enough time to get to the arena right before his match started.
Brecel’s attendance at the Meadowbank Sports Centre on time was fortunate because his spot in this week’s World Grand Prix is up for grabs. Brecel is currently ranked 38th, and only the top 32 players from the current season will be eligible to compete. To have a shot at securing a spot, he needs to at least prevail over James Cahill in his subsequent encounter.
When he did show up and the match started, the Bullet won handily, finishing in just over an hour with breaks of 56 and 75.
“How I made it here is a miracle. I was still in the air when Mark Williams took a 3-0 advantage. Sam needed to win at least one frame for me to have a chance, so I kept an eye on the scores. That’s what he carried out. Sam has my gratitude, and I’m just glad to be here. Scottish Open champion Brecel stated, “I want to play well and enjoy it.” “My taxi driver did a great job; I told him I was in a hurry. It was useful since he disregarded the red lights and other things.
“I felt quite well. It was enjoyable to me. All I’m trying to do is enjoy myself a little more at the table. The travel had truly just made me delighted to be here. I was rather excited about this one. I’m attempting to relish it. This season, I haven’t done that nearly enough and I’ve been thinking too much. I think it’s because I’m the world champion and get more attention. Since it is never a good thing in snooker, I simply tried to revert to my mindset after winning the World Championship.
John Higgins, a four-time world champion from Scotland, defeated Oliver Brown easily 4-0 to start his home championship defence.
Higgins has placed second in the competition twice, but Marco Fu defeated him in 2016 and Brecel in 2021. After losing four finals, the 31-time ranking event winner is chasing his first ranking trophy in any event since the 2021 Players Championship.
Higgins stole from needing snookers in the opening frame, and he coasted home from there. Higgins crossed the finish line with breaks of 69, 74, and 82, earning him a matchup with China’s He Guoqiang in the second round.
Higgins declared, “I’m thrilled to have won. You only get to play in front of your home audience here for the Scottish boys once a year. I was ecstatic to finish my first game. I’m hoping for a successful run. Tonight’s turnout was amazing.
With a commanding 4-0 victory over Sydney Wilson, Judd Trump advanced to face International Champion Zhang Anda in the second round.
Trump is vying for his fourth ranking title of the campaign as Player of the Season thus far. It took him just forty-seven minutes to complete the victory this evening.
Jamie Jones defeated Mark Allen 4-2 in a thrilling match, while Shaun Murphy lost 4-1 to Liu Hongyu and
