Luca Brecel narrowly got the better of Stan Moody in the first round of the English Open on Monday night and the world champion had some words of advice for the teenage talent afterwards.
The 17-year-old looked like he was going to secure his first win as a professional in some style be knocking off the world champ, but the Belgian Bullet came from behind to pip him 4-3 late in the deciding frame.
Moody impressed earlier in the match, knocking in his highest break as a pro, 121, and putting the world number two under serious pressure as an early exit from Brentwood loomed.
However, Brecel did enough to get over the line and offered some advice to the rising star after his narrow win.
‘I think he struggled in the beginning but when I was 2-1 up he played two great frames and put me under pressure,’ Brecel told Eurosport.
‘You can see what a talent he is, once he gets going he’s really good. Maybe just some experience and some tactical knowledge.
‘Maybe the only difference between me [when I was 17] was I’m a bit quicker on the shot and round the table. He sometimes overthinks it a bit but apart from that he’s a good potter, a good break-builder.
‘He’s only 17 so still plenty of time, especially in snooker you can play until you’re 50, still a lot of time.’
On what the teenager can do next, Brecel said it is simply about getting your head down and continuing to work at the notoriously difficult game.
‘Obviously just keep playing and trying,’ said the Bullet. ‘It is a very difficult game. He missed a few, maybe he needs to be a bit more sharp but this is a very difficult game and it’s tough out there.
‘When you lose obviously it’s always a blow. I can deal with it but it’s still a blow and a blow for your confidence so it’s going to be difficult.
‘He played some really good stuff, some bad stuff, same as I did. I didn’t play as good as he did, maybe he deserved to win, but he’s only 17 so just don’t think about it too much.
‘Keep going, try to improve because the results will take care of themselves then.’
Brecel was once the rising teenage talent on tour, becoming the youngest player ever to appear at the Crucible in 2012 when he was just 17 and he remembers how different the game was for him then.
The 28-year-old says he feels no pressure compared to those days, when he was consumed by the game, having now proved everything he needs to by winning the World Championship earlier this year.
‘It was totally different. Now it feels like practice, I come here and there’s absolutely no pressure,’ he said.
‘I’m not even thinking about the game when I come to England. When I was younger I was thinking about it a week before, feeling pressure. What could happen, what will happen.
‘He’s probably the same now. Maybe too focussed on the game, which is good, because he’s still young and you need to be a bit obsessed by it, but now it’s obviously totally different for me. I’ve not got anything to prove to myself.
‘Now it’s just about trying to enjoy it. It sounds strange but today I didn’t play well and didn’t enjoy it, even winning doesn’t feel good, I really need to improve for my next game because if I don’t then I’m going to lose.’
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