The Belgian Bullet produced a remarkable display to lift the trophy in Sheffield for the first time, having never won a match at the Crucible before.
He downed Ricky Walden, Mark Williams, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Si Jiahui and then Mark Selby in the final to stun the world and pocked £500,000 in the process.
The 28-year-old’s aggressive, fluent, risky style of play is very easy on the eye and 1997 world champion Doherty expects to see people very keen to see him in action in the future, with the sport hopefully capitalising on new-found popularity in Belgium and across Europe.
‘Luca was a worthy winner. He has an extravagant and cavalier type of style which is just incredible to watch,’ Doherty told Echo Live.
‘I think the recent win from Luca will help generate new fans and help snooker break into new markets.’
The Darling of Dublin has a particular eye on Irish youngster he hopes to see inspired by the Belgian Bullet, notably Aaron Hill, who could be the next star of snooker in Ireland.
The 21-year-old has struggled for consistent success on the professional tour so far, but wins over Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump have shown what he can do, and Doherty hopes Hill will take some motivation from the world champion’s surprise glory.
‘Aaron Hill is doing really well. It is great to have him back on the circuit and back on the tour,’ said Doherty. ‘Hopefully, he will have a big year next year. Luca’s story should really inspire the likes of Aaron and other young snooker players in Ireland.
‘His success shows what can be achieved through hard work, determination, and belief in yourself,
‘Aaron has the talent and is well capable. He should keep working hard and hopefully, he will get his rewards. It is a tough sport and it can be hard to make the breakthrough.
‘The opportunities and rewards are there if you do get in and you do make the breakthrough, but it requires a lot of hard work.’
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