Snooker world champion suffers fresh £1.2m blow after losing fortune
Luca Brecel has endured a torrid time since winning the World Snooker Championship in 2023
Former snooker world champion Luca Brecel has failed to qualify for the UK Championship. The 30-year-old Belgian’s remarkable downfall continued as he was knocked out in the third of four qualifying rounds ahead of the season's first Triple Crown event.
Now ranked 40th in the world, Brecel suffered a shock 6-3 defeat to world No. 106 Ian Burns, meaning he will miss out on the chance to compete for the £1.2million prize fund at the main stage in York this weekend. The fact that a player of Brecel's stature even had to go through qualifying, let alone failed to qualify, would be more astonishing if not for his recent struggles.
The 2021 UK Championship finalist's season has been marred by inconsistency and several notable absences.
He failed to show up for his Wuhan Open qualifier with Haris Tahir in June before deciding against participating in the British Open qualifiers. He also opted out of the Saudi Arabia Masters in Jeddah, where he was scheduled to face Sanderson Lam in the third round in August.
Former Scottish Open champion Brecel then chose to withdraw from his best-of-nine frame qualifier at the Xi'an Grand Prix in September while trailing, citing issues with his cue as the reason for his walkout.
Another blow came early in the season at the International Championship qualifiers when he was defeated by world No.123 Liu Wenwei in the first round.
That’s in stark contrast to when he won the World Snooker Championship in 2023, beating Mark Selby 18-15 at the Crucible. Brecel made history as the first player from mainland Europe to accomplish this feat.
Brecel's success at the time turned him into a millionaire, but he admitted his fortune was quickly squandered due to his lavish spending habits. He splashed out hundreds of thousands on a Ferrari 488, BMW M4, Range Rover Sport and even a Porsche Taycan for his then-partner, Laura Vanoverberghe, which burned through his chequebook.
The snooker star has also battled health problems in recent times amid his loss of form, revealing he has sought medical help from doctors over issues with fatigue.
He explained: "Some people have come up to me and said ‘oh, is it mental health’ and they have tried to help.
"It’s not my head. I’m perfectly happy. I’m fine. It’s not mental. It’s physical things in my body. Strange. I’ve been to the doctor many, many times. Maybe 18 times in three to four months."
