Welsh Open 2024: Martin O’Donnell seals semi-final spot with brilliant black in stunning win over Luca Brecel

Martin O’Donnell extended his perfect record against Luca Brecel to four with a superb 5-3 victory in the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open.

In a high-quality affair at the Venue Cymru in Llandudno, the pair traded big breaks – with only one frame not seeing a half-century.

Brecel led 2-1 and 3-2, but could not shake off O’Donnell who took his chance when it presented itself to book his place in the semi-finals of a ranking event for the second time in his career.

Elliott Slessor, another player who has not won a tournament, lies in wait for O’Donnell on Saturday.

O’Donnell is not famed for his speed around the table, but his ‘Minister of Defence’ moniker is a misnomer and he played front-foot snooker to take the opener with an 88 – albeit aided by an outrageous fluke that wriggled in the jaws of the green pocket, went across the table and dropped into the left middle.

Brecel hit back immediately with a 75 to draw level and he followed that up with the same size of break – on this occasion getting in after O’Donnell had missed when in the balls.

A barrage of breaks from the world champion could have been unnerving, but O’Donnell had never tasted defeat to the Belgian and responded with a 61 in the fourth to draw level at the interval.

Brecel is starting to show signs of getting back somewhere close to his Crucible form, and he produced a special pot to get underway in the fifth. A crunching red with the white deep in baulk saw him secure the frame in five minutes courtesy of a run of 76.

The high scoring continued in the sixth, with O’Donnell showing his stomach for the fight with the first century of the match – a polished 130.

The seventh was the first frame in the match not to feature a half-century break, with O’Donnell opening with 44 and Brecel replying with 48.

With two reds on the table there was no thought of safety, as O’Donnell stroked in a red along the baulk rail and then played a green to right middle and went up and down the table for the final red.

There was still work to do, but he cleared to the pink to move within one frame of victory.

With his only other appearance in a ranking semi-final coming at the Shoot Out, nerves were likely coursing through O’Donnell’s veins in the eighth as he stepped to the table following a Brecel miss on 33.

He held himself together superbly to make 54 but ran out of position and missed a tough red.

Brecel coughed up another opening but the drama continued as O’Donnell missed a pink that would have left the world champion requiring snookers.

O’Donnell missed a red that would have closed out the match, and Brecel picked off the final red and the colours to the pink.

A black along the bottom rail was tough, and Brecel rattled it in the jaws as the crowd in Llandudno felt the tension.

A battle on the black ensued, and the match got the finish it deserved as O’Donnell knocked in a long pot to the green pocket before the players shared a warm handshake.

Gary Wilson set up a semi-final with John Higgins after whitewashing Anthony McGill 5-0.

The Scottish Open champion made breaks of 92, 71 and 76 and snatched the last despite McGill making a 70.