Luca Brecel pulls out of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters after also withdrawing from the Championship League
Published 09/08/2025 at 20:06 GMT+1
Luca Brecel has pulled out of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. The 30-year-old former world champion is yet to have played this season, having also withdrawn from the Championship League, the Wuhan Open and British Open in the past few months. Brecel has endured indifferent form in the past two seasons, and in turn, dropped out of the elite top 16 to world No. 39.
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Luca Brecel has pulled out of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
"Luca Brecel has pulled out of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters for medical reasons," read a statement from World Snooker Tour.
"The former World Champion was due to meet Sanderson Lam or Connor Benzey in round three in Jeddah on Sunday. Instead, the winner of Saturday's match between Lam and Benzey will receive a bye into round four."
Brecel has still not played this season, having also pulled out of the Championship League, the Wuhan Open qualifiers and the British Open.
The Belgian, who was crowned world champion in 2023, has dropped out of the elite top 16 to world No. 39 after an indifferent campaign last term.
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters began on Friday August 8 and runs until Saturday August 16, with all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Asked about his fall outside the top 16 at the World Championship in April, Brecel suggested that he was looking forward to qualifiers.
"There’s also a good side, less travelling maybe, less extra tournaments, so for me, it’s maybe better," he said.
"I enjoy the qualifiers to be honest, I don’t need to be on the TV table, I like being on the outside table as well. For me it’s all about playing snooker."
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The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters features a spate of big names, including defending champion and world No. 1 Judd Trump, as well as Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby and Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Trump won the inaugural event last year, narrowly beating Mark Williams 10-9 in the final.
Watch and stream top snooker action live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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