Neil Robertson roared back from 2–0 down to beat Jak Jones 6–3 and storm into his eighth Champion of Champions semi-final, capping a dramatic day two at the Mattioli Arena that saw former World No.1 Judd Trump crash out in a final-frame thriller.
Reflecting on his day, Robertson said: “I thought I played really solid stuff today. Against Jak, I was able to take the momentum and the match away from him, and my break-off caused him a few problems. I felt confident out there – every time I potted a red, I felt like I could clear the table, and that was the case today.
I’m really happy to be back in another semi-final. I’m looking forward to facing Chris Wakelin. I love the way he plays, and it’s great to see him doing well. He’s good for the game, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
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In the Group Four final, it was Jones who made the stronger start, edging a tense opening frame by just six points before extending his advantage with a fine break of 80 in the second. Robertson soon settled into his rhythm, though, and reeled off the next three frames to move ahead for the first time, rounding off the spell with an excellent century break of 130 in the fifth.
Jones showed his class to respond with a superb 133, the highest break of the tournament so far, to draw level at 3–3, but the Australian had the final say. He found another gear to take the last three frames with runs of 80, 70 and 63, completing a 6–3 victory and setting up a semi-final meeting with Chris Wakelin.
Robertson opened his campaign against 18-year-old Women’s World Champion Panchaya Channoi, and it was the youngster who struck first, taking the opening frame to make a confident start on the big stage. The Australian responded in typical fashion, winning the next three frames to move within one of victory. Channoi showed real fight in the fifth, trailing by 46 points before battling back to take the frame by nine, but Robertson closed out a 4–2 win with a composed break of 80 in the sixth to book his place in the group final.
There he was joined by Jones, who came through a gripping encounter with Judd Trump. Trump made the faster start and moved two frames clear, but the Welshman dug in to win the third and fourth and draw level at 2–2. Trump looked to have regained control when a break of 75 in the fifth put him one away from victory, but Jones finished strongly, taking the last two frames with runs of 77 and 79 to complete a 4–3 win.
Day three brings Group Three, where Shaun Murphy faces Ronnie O’Sullivan in a blockbuster match up and reigning World Champion Wu Yize takes on Chang Bingyu, with a semi-final place up for grabs.
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