Neil Robertson stated that he was back to his best after demolishing Gary Wilson 6-1 at the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.
The Thunder from Down Under put on a ruthless display to defeat Scottish and Welsh Open champion Wilson in under two hours.
It was a more familiar standard from Robertson, after a poor 23/24 season saw him slide down the world rankings to 27th position. The Melbourne cueman practised throughout the summer in an attempt to regain his winning touch and those efforts appear to be bearing fruits this week.
Robertson came through from a hard fought first four frames leading 3-1 and from there he never looked back. Breaks of 141 and 95 after the interval helped the 2010 World Champion to take three on the bounce to emerge victorious and seal a blockbuster quarter-final showdown with world number one Judd Trump.
“I’m definitely back, 100%. I’m a better player than I ever have been. I have worked so hard over the last six months on every aspect of my game. I’ve realised that my reputation can only get me so far,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.
“I probably haven’t said too much about my game over the last 18 months, but I’ve got that sense of pride again with my safety game. My game is in a good place and I’m delighted to get through because Gary is a top player.
“It will be nice to play Judd. It has been a while since I’ve played him. Whenever we’ve played it has always been a massive occasion. Playing in the quarter-finals here has been fantastic.”
Trump put on an equally impressive display this afternoon, as he thrashed six-time ranking event finalist Jack Lisowski 6-1.
The result continues Trump’s relentless streak against close friend Lisowski. He’s now won their last seven meetings. The Ace in the Pack fired in century runs of 126, 115 and 105 on his way to victory this afternoon.
It was an important win in the race for the summit of the world rankings. Trump recently overhauled Mark Allen as world number one, but with £500,000 on offer for the top prize this week his position is immediately under threat.
Following the match he stated that he was unsurprised at tomorrow’s opponent Robertson’s return to form.
Trump said: “It was only a matter of time. A few people have said that they didn’t think he was going to get back but he’s way too good for that to happen. I think he was lacking belief and looking at too many things that can go wrong. I think playing those few games in qualifiers have helped his confidence.”
Shaun Murphy booked his place in the quarter-finals as he beat Elliot Slessor 6-3 with a top break of 111.
The Magician now faces Xiao Guodong, who edged out Scott Donaldson 6-5 with a superb 123 in the deciding frame. It has been some week for Xiao as he got married in China the day before he flew to Riyadh.
"There was pressure today because it's now my biggest ever prize money (£50,000)," he said. "This is such a big tournament. I just tried to enjoy the game and concentrate. I thought about my family and my wife and that gave me power."