London, May 2 (Ians) Belgium’s Luca Brecel claimed the Snooker World Championship title after defeating four-time champion Mark Selby 18-15 in Sheffield. Brecel, 28, had never won a match at the Crucible Theatre before this year’s tournament but shocked seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-10 in the quarterfinals, winning the last seven frames consecutively, reports Xinhua.

After coming from behind to defeat Chinese rookie Si Jiahui in the semifinals, Brecel established a final showdown with Selby and managed to hold a 9-8 overnight lead, even though his 39-year-old opponent made the first-ever 147 in a World Championship final last night.

The world No. 10 then claimed the first four frames on Monday, extending his advantage to 13-8. Selby fought back from 16-10 down to 16-15 in the last session, but Brecel secured the final two frames to become the fourth non-British winner at the season finale of the World Snooker Tour.

“It’s a dream come true,...