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Welsh Open match halted as Luca Brecel suffers migraine in Mark Selby clash

WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as Welsh Open match halted

Jack Otway

By Jack Otway


Published: 15/02/2025

- 15:06

The semi-finals of the competition are taking place today

The Welsh Open was temporarily halted on Saturday, with Luca Brecel struggling with a migraine during his clash with Mark Selby.

Both men are currently in the semi-finals of the tournament, with Ali Carter and Stephen Maguire also in the last four.


After going 1-0 down, Brecel was seen rubbing his eyes in his chair.

He then spoke to the referee, as well as Selby, while also discussing his situation with his father.

Luca Brecel

The Welsh Open was temporarily halted on Saturday, with Luca Brecel struggling with a migraine during his clash with Mark Selby

PA

The snooker star then proceeded to leave the floor, with fans in attendance left confused by the delay.

Eurosport then reported that Brecel was suffering with a migraine, with the 29-year-old then given 15 minutes to get himself together.

Brecel was, however, able to continue playing and the showdown has since resumed as both men battle to make the final.

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Meanwhile, Brecel has admitted he's enjoyed the tournament so far - having returned to form following a difficult year.

He said: "When I turn up at tournaments now, I really want to go deep.

"Before, if I wasn't in a really good place, I wanted to go home. Now I want to win the tournament. It's fantastic to be in the mix again."

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Brecel's improvement has also come after he was previously criticised by snooker icon Stephen Hendry.

Hendry had said: “As a snooker player, I cannot buy into what he’s doing, flying in from Majorca between matches and stuff.

“But then, I don’t know what his priorities in life are. Maybe snooker isn’t his priority anymore, and you’ve got to respect that.

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Luca Brecel

Luca Brecel was able to resume his Welsh Open clash with Mark Selby

PA

“You could criticise if he wants to win snooker tournaments, because that’s not the way to do it.

"But if he’s not bothered whether he wins or loses, if he wants to do this Ironman stuff and play snooker as a hobby, then good luck to him.

“For me, as someone who dedicated their whole life to win, I don’t understand it. But it’s his life. Luca’s different to anyone else on the tour in that respect.”

Mark Selby

Mark Selby was forced to wait while Luca Brecel treated his migraine in their Welsh Open clash

PA

Brecel has, however, been backed by Ronnie O'Sullivan - with the snooker legend adamant he's got all the qualities required to be one of the best players on the planet.

O'Sullivan stated: "Even Usain Bolt had to put a lot of training in if he wanted to win medals, and he is probably the most talented, gifted specimen of a sportsman there has ever been.

"Luca has to make his own mind up and where he wants to go in the game. The one thing I will say is rankings are not that important. When you have that amount of talent, if you decide to put the work in, you will win tournaments. The ball is in his court and only Luca can make those decisions."