Did Luca Brecel make ‘most surreal escape from a snooker in history of the sport’ in win v Ding Junhui at Scottish Open?

Luca Brecel was at his crowd-pleasing best at the Scottish Open on Thursday. The Belgian is famed for his brilliant potting, and there was one fluked pot and an escape from a safety that wowed the fans in his win over Ding Junhui at Meadowbank Sports Centre. Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Scottish Open, live and on demand on Eurosport and discovery+.

Luca Brecel turned the fifth frame of his win over Ding Junhui at the Scottish Open, live on Eurosport and discovery+, into a veritable fluke show.

One fluke to pot a red would have been enough for many, but the Belgian added some stardust to proceedings with an escape from a snooker which defied belief - and was described in the Eurosport commentary box as "utterly preposterous".

Early in the frame, Brecel went for a pot of a red to the bottom left. In truth, it did not get all that close - it went close to the green pocket on its way back up the table.

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As it made a return journey down the table, it cannoned into another red before dropping into its original target of the bottom left.

It set Brecel up for what proved to be a frame-winning contribution, as he left his opponent needing snookers with only the colours on the table.

Ding kept his hopes alive with an excellent snooker, and Brecel took aim at full pace. After missing the yellow that was locked to the bottom cushion, the white careered around the table and rattled into the jaws of the green pocket.

'That's a special one!' - Brecel flukes in red against Ding

Video credit: TNT Sports

Gravity did not win, as it escaped and drifted down the side rail before hitting the bottom jaw of the right middle and, unbelievably, coming to rest on top of the yellow.

Philip Studd, on commentary for Eurosport, was left in a state of bewilderment. "That might be the most surreal escape from a snooker in the history of the sport," Studd said.

Following his win over Ding, Brecel admitted the pace he played the shot aided his cause.

"This is incredible," Brecel told Eurosport's Alan McManus. "Normally I don’t miss those shots, but I was happy I missed it and got out of it this way. Nobody hits it as hard as me."

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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Scottish Open, live and on demand on Eurosport and discovery+

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