Neil Robertson is four frames away from the Tour Championship semi-finals after opening up a commanding 6-2 lead over Jack Lisowski in his opening match in Newport.
The Australian, again sporting glorious blonde lockdown locks, was imperious as he made five 50+ breaks to take control.
It had initially looked as though it would be a tight contest, with Lisowski twice pegging back Robertson to go in level at the interval at 2-2.
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But Robertson returned an inspired man, restricting his opponent to just 39 more points as breaks of 73, 112 and 106 helped him reel off four frames on the spin.
The pair will return later on Tuesday to conclude the best-of-19 match, with only an almighty rescue mission from Lisowski capable of stopping Robertson’s march into the last four.
Robertson has struggled for form since winning a marathon final against Judd Trump at the UK Championship in December, winning just one match across four tournaments.

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