Chris Wakelin thwarted a Neil Robertson comeback to prevail 10-8 and score his first ever match win at the Crucible on day two of the Halo World Championship.
Wakelin has endured some difficult defeats in snooker’s biggest event. The last two years have seen him lose in the final round of qualifying. Before that, there were three first round losses at the Crucible, including a gut-wrenching 10-9 defeat to Judd Trump on debut. This time the Rugby cueman says he is thrilled to finally make some positive memories in Sheffield.
It comes off the back of a tremendous season for world number 20 Wakelin, who reached the final of the International Championship and made his Masters debut in January. Off the table, he also became a father for the first time with the birth of his daughter.
Defeat for world number nine Robertson means he will have to wait another year in his hunt for a second Crucible crown. The 2010 World Champion hasn’t been beyond the second round for four years and failed to even qualify 12 months ago.
However, tournament victories this season at the English Open and World Grand Prix have seen him return to the world’s top 16 and give him optimism for the future.
Wakelin held a hefty 7-2 advantage coming into tonight, but that was soon wiped out. Breaks of 117, 69 and 53 helped Robertson to five on the bounce and parity at 7-7. Former Shoot Out winner Wakelin then stopped the rot with 90 in the 15th to lead 8-7.
Robertson made it 8-8, but just couldn’t find a way to get in front, with Wakelin taking two near 30-minute frames to emerge victorious. He will now face either Mark Allen or Fan Zhengyi.
“A lot of the memories in my career, up until two years ago, were negative. It was the match I nearly won or the ball I nearly potted. It is amazing now to think that some of my matches will be remembered in years to come for good things,” said 33-year-old Wakelin.
“The psychological part of this game, is the game. We all have the skill to play out there, but doing it on the day, when it matters, and dealing with the fact this is the World Championship adds a lot of extra pressure.
“It’s what you expect from Neil. He is a champion for a reason. I was prepared for it to go close today. I was ready for him to come back at me and I managed to get over the line in the end.”
Robertson said: “Yesterday was a really cruel session. I don’t think I’ve ever played so well to be 7-2 down. I only missed one ball and Chris played really well. He was aggressive and rode his luck and I was the opposite.
“I’ve been really consistent throughout the season and won a couple of titles to fly up the rankings. I came into this with a positive mindset. It isn’t the end to the season that I wanted, but I would have taken this overall.”