Neil Robertson’s run of bad form appears to be over after claiming the winners spot in Group 4 at Championship League Snooker Invitational in Leicester.
The Thunder from Down Under triumphed over Kyren Wilson in the final, having been forced into a deciding frame by the Warrior.
Wilson, who had reached the play-offs by defeating Robertson in the Group, had failed to win any of his three Group semi-finals prior to defeating Group 3 finalist John Higgins.
Jimmy Robertson came into the day top of the table after seeing out Wednesday’s play with wins over Barry Hawkins and Wilson.
However, due to the exceptionally tight nature of the group, the 3-2 victory over last-placed Xiao Guodong wasn’t enough to see him retain his place in the Group stage, heading home on Frames Lost to 5th placed Ricky Walden despite three victories.
After experiencing a dry spell of form across the year, Group victory comes at the perfect time for Robertson heading into the business end of the season.
“I think with some of the matches I’ve played this week, I’ve been unplayable at times. The long balls have been absolutely fantastic and I’ve changed my approach a little as to how I’m playing them,” he said.
“I’m going back to how I used to play many years ago. I’ve been backing myself to hit the centre of the white and my long potting has never been better, with my scoring fantastic as well.
“Barry (Hawkins) only had maybe five shots in the semi-final, while Kyren (Wilson) and I threw the kitchen sink at each other. The last frame was unbelievable, he just tried to do a bit too much with the safety shot and I could make a good 50 break.
“When you get to the final and you’ve already played a couple of Groups, you want to advance to the Winners’ Group so it’s nice to head back to Cambridge and get a bit of practice in before the Welsh Open.”
Group 5 gets underway from 11am on Friday, with Joe Perry, Fan Zhengyi and Dave Gilbert joining the competition. Fans are able to view the action on Matchroom.live in the United Kingdom.
See where to watch in your country here.
Photo Credit: Zheng Zhai
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