Oct 22,2024
Neil Robertson won the battle of the former world champions against Graeme Dott on day two of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
It was a titanic struggle at the Waterfront Hall, with Robertson emerging a 4-3 winner after over three hours of play.
The Australian took the opening frame of a topsy-turvy contest before Dott won the next two, including an excellent break of 52 to pinch the third on the black.
Robertson settled with a break of 54 in the next, before a scrappy frame moved him one away from victory.
But 2006 world champion Dott wasn't done yet, forcing a decider in Belfast, which Robertson eventually won.
He now awaits the winner of the clash between Jack Lisowski and Wang Yuchen in the second round.
"That was great, great snooker from both of us. it had a really good mix of everything, some really good breaks and some brilliant safety play as well.
"Graeme is someone who, irrespective of his ranking, will get up for the big matches.
"It was just plants that I missed, really. Both times he made big breaks to clear up.
"From my point of view, I felt I didn't make too many unforced errors. That was pleasing and in the decider there I made Graeme earn all his chances. I thought I played a really good deciding frame."
Robertson, who slid down the rankings last year, compounded by missing out on the Crucible for the first time in 20 years, has looked more like his old self this season, winning the English Open last month for his first ranking title in over two years.
He is yet to win the Northern Ireland Open but reached the semi-finals in 2005 and again two years ago.
"If I get on a run anything could happen," he said of his prospects of a first title in Belfast.
"It's always nice to win one early, especially 4-3; you've come through a really tough test.
"It's the only one I've not won out of the Home Nations events so the motivation is really high. Great venue, great crowds, wonderful people here in Belfast, so there's every reason to want to stick around."
Jimmy White is in action later today against face Hossein Vafaei while home favourite Mark Allen will begin his pursuit of a third title in four seasons at the Waterfront Hall tonight against Liu Hongyu.
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from the tournament for medical reasons yesterday, handing China’s Long Zehuang a first-round walkover.
