Three-Ton Thunder Storms Into Last Four
Neil Robertson blasted three centuries as he beat Robbie Williams 5-2 to take his place in a fabulous semi-final line-up at the Matchroom.Live English Open.
Robertson will take on Mark Selby on Saturday afternoon, then in the evening John Higgins will meet world number one Judd Trump, who saw off Kyren Wilson 5-1. The four remaining players in Milton Keynes have 83 ranking titles between them, and they have all completed the Triple Crown.
After losing the opening frame tonight, Australia’s Robertson picked up the pace with breaks of 56, 87 and 140 to lead 3-1 at the interval. His opponent took frame five on the pink, but world number three Robertson rattled in 100 and 133 to finish in style.
“That was awesome, it’s so enjoyable to play like that,” said Robertson. “I lost a tight frame to go 3-2 and that could have been a turning point but then it was a great way to finish. It was also nice to go ahead of Joe Perry for the (£5,000) high break prize because he’d had a 139 – he texted me at the interval but I can’t say what he wrote!
“It’s an unbelievable semi-final line-up because we have all won a lot of tournaments in recent years. It will be an amazing day for the fans watching on TV.”
World number one Trump was far from his best tonight but scored a 5-1 win over an out-of-sorts Wilson. It was a small measure of revenge for Bristol’s Trump who lost to the same opponent in the quarter-finals at the Crucible in August.
Bristol’s Trump made 56 and 53 in taking a 2-0 lead before Wilson pulled one back with an 84. A run of 112 put Trump 3-1 ahead and he got the better of a safety battle on the last red in frame five to extend his lead. The sixth lasted just eight minutes as Trump fired a break of 101.
“It was a strange game, I made some good breaks but I felt edgy,” admitted Trump. “Kyren gave it to me really, he was well below his usual level and he missed more long pots than he would usually miss in a season. I went into my shell a bit, I got too negative waiting for chances. I’ll have to be more positive tomorrow and play better because John is close to his best.
“Kyren has got the dedication, determination and hunger to be around for a long time so we’re going to play beach other a lot. We both enjoy the challenge, there’s a bit of rivalry and we both want to win badly. The next time we play he’ll be trying to turn it up a notch and beat me.”