GUTSY ROBERTSON INTO QUARTERS

GUTSY ROBERTSON INTO QUARTERS

NEIL ROBERTSON produce another battling performance to take his place in the quarter-finals of the China Open in Beijing on Thursday.

The world no.1 and defending champion overcame illness to beat Yu Delu 5-4, surviving a third successive deciding frame finish after last gasp wins over Anthony Hamilton and Mark Williams.

Afterwards he tweeted: “Still fighting on guys! Another 5-4 win. No energy at all and my son would beat me at an arm wrestle right now!”

Robertson, still suffering from a virus, coughed and spluttered throughout a lengthy contest of four hours duration. He led 3-1 at the interval but the match became increasingly scrappy and Yu, despite a highest break of only 40, carved out a 4-3 lead.

Yu had two chances early in the eighth but Robertson eventually took it with a 91 clearance and a run of 60 brought him to victory in the decider.

Robertson now plays his 2010 world final victim Graeme Dott in the quarter-finals after the Scot defeated Belgium’s Luca Brecel 5-2.

Ricky Walden saw his 3-1 lead over Shaun Murphy cancelled out but won the next two frames to complete a 5-3 victory.

Walden now faces Ali Carter, who won a hard fought 5-3 victory over Peter Ebdon, who potted the pink at the end of the eighth frame but failed to add the black.

 

Photographs by Monique Limbos.