Ronnie O’Sullivan on how Luca Brecel is beating Mark Selby in World Snooker Championship final

Ronnie O’Sullivan believes Luca Brecel is playing the right way to beat Mark Selby at the World Championship final and thinks keeping a good rhythm will be key for the Belgian. Brecel led Selby 6-2 after the first session and clearly didn’t want to get drawn into his opponent's slower safety game. Ad He is playing in his maiden Crucible final after making history by becoming the first player to win a match from nine frames behind on his way to stunning Si Jiiahui in the semi-finals.

World ChampionshipBrecel powers into lead over Selby in Crucible final4 HOURS AGO “He’s such a good cueist,” said O’Sullivan in the Eurosport studio. “A lot of the shots he’s played today, me and Alan haven’t even seen them until he’s played them. “He has a range which we don’t recognise.

You can’t predict what he’s going to do because he can get so much work on that cue ball that he has different possibilities to him on the snooker table. “He hits very high up on the white so is getting a different stroke on the ball to everyone else on the circuit.” Brecel played the Sunday afternoon session with an average shot time of 20 seconds, the same as his semi-final against Si. In contrast, Selby was four seconds faster than his match with Mark Allen.

O’Sullivan’s explanation about keeping a good tempo comes from experience, after he lost the 2014 World Championship final to Selby when 10-5 up, but got payback six years later in the semi-final by winning the last three frames to beat The Jester from Leicester on a decider. “A slow player can make you slow down but Luca hasn’t allowed that,” said The Rocket. “What’s happened is Luca is playing his game and it’s made Selby rush up a bit.