Shaun Murphy hails most impressive snooker he’s ever seen from Luca Brecel

The Belgian Bullet seems immune to pressure in his first Crucible final and leads the four-time champion 15-10 going into Monday night’s final session.

In a race to 18 he is now the clear favourite, especially after knocking in four centuries in the third session to extend his lead from 9-8 to 15-10.

The 28-year-old won seven frames on the spin to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals and 11 on the bounce in his semi-final comeback against Si Jiahui in the semis, but 2005 world champion Murphy believes he just topped those achievements in the final.

‘We’ve been waiting it for a long time from him. We’ve all known how good and talented he is,’ the Magician told the BBC.

‘I think that session of snooker today from Luca Brecel is the most impressive batch of frames that he’s ever produced.

‘More impressive than the 11 on the spin and the seven on the spin to beat O’Sullivan, because of last night.

‘To go through what he did and lose his lead and to only be one ahead coming into today, to then stand up and win the session 6-2. That’s the most impressive I’ve ever seen from Luca Brecel.’

Stephen Hendry believes it was those comeback wins over O’Sullivan and Si that have helped him produce his immense best in the final.

‘What he’s got, to back his cause to win this, is how he’s come through this tournament, the players he has beaten,’ said the seven-time champ.

‘[Mark] Williams, O’Sullivan, 14-5 down to Si Jiahui in the semi-finals. He’s got that inner strength to call on, that confidence.

‘If you know, in extreme adversity, you can call on that game, which he has done all tournament, it’s incredible and hard to beat.’

The pair return for the fourth and final session at 7pm.

MORE : Jimmy White tells Luca Brecel what he must do with Mark Selby ‘odds-on’ for World Championship final

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