Neil Robertson’s form continued to trend in the right direction, after claiming victory with a 3-2 defeat of Kyren Wilson in Group 4 final at the Championship League Snooker Invitational in Leicester.
Wilson, who had reached the play-offs by defeating Robertson earlier in the group, beat John Higgins 3-1 in the semi-final. Robertson earned his place in the final thanks to a 3-0 win over Barry Hawkins.
The Thunder from Down Under fired in a break of 54 in the decider against Wilson to secure victory and his place in the Winners’ Group.
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,” said Robertson.
“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 David Gilbert joining the competition. Fans are able to view the action on Matchroom.live in the United Kingdom.