Youngster Kazakov couldn’t quite believe the cruel stroke of luck he endured (Image: WST)
Ukrainian snooker star Anton Kazakov suffered a cruel mishap when potting his cue ball after sinking a ‘match-levelling’ black at the British Open. Kazakov, 19, currently an amateur after losing his status on tour, faced a tough task in Cheltenham with fellow teenager Liam Davies.
An underdog for the tie, Kazakov lost the opening frame as his opponent rattled off a break of 67 but looked to have given himself every chance of grabbing a frame back.
A black that, if potted, would have seen the score jump to 1-1 was lined up near the top right pocket, and a powerful strike saw it drop. Alas, players and spectators were left with an agonising watch as the cue ball bounced off three different cushions before falling into a pocket, losing Kazakov the frame.
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The odds were already stacked against the 19-year-old as the tie began, with Davies, the youngest winner of a world championship match, having just claimed the scalp of world number 18 Barry Hawkins in qualifying for the event.
Luck was not on Kazakov’s side as the second frame concluded, and his day wouldn’t get any better either. After throwing his head back in disgust at the unfortunate proceedings that had just unfolded, the Ukrainian handed Davies a 2-0 lead – one that would not be diminished. An impeccable performance for the 18-year-old Welshman saw Kazakov lose the tie 4-0 and crash out of the competition altogether.
While he may feel like the unluckiest man to take to the baize at the British Open, unbelievably, the potting of a frame-winning black scuppered by a rogue cue ball – but in that instance, it lost a player the match.
NO WAY! ??????
— WST (@WeAreWST)
Former world champion Luca Brecel faced up to Chinese challenger Tian Pengfei in the same round that Kazakov exited the event and had battled hard for a 3-2 lead. However, Tian was in a prime position to take the tie to a deciding frame and level at 3-3, before he suffered a familiar fate.
In the same top-right pocket where Kazakov’s misfortune occurred, Tian took aim from a long way back and expertly made what should have been a frame-winning black.
However, his cue ball, too, trickled slowly down the table and into one of the bottom pockets, giving Brecel a 4-2 victory and sending Tian packing. Typically, Brecel’s next opponent, after progressing past Tian, is none other than another beneficiary of cruel luck, Davies.