Published:
Readtime: 4 min
Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.
- Australian Neil Robertson has defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan to claim the Saudi Arabia Masters Snooker title in Jeddah.
- The thrilling encounter went down to the final frame, with Robertson prevailing 10-9.
- Robertson pocketed £500,000 (AUD$1.05 million) for the win, the largest purse of his career.
- The victory now sees the 43-year-old snooker player climb to third in the world rankings.
Australian snooker star Neil Robertson has defeated seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan to claim the Saudi Arabia Masters title in Jeddah. The thrilling encounter went down to the final frame, with Robertson sealing a famous 10-9 victory over the heavily favoured Brit. The win saw Robertson, 43, walk away with a career-best £500,000 (AUD$1.05 million) purse, the largest of his 18-year career. Most importantly, the Aussie now climbs to third in the world rankings.
Robertson led the final from the outset; however, it was far from smooth sailing. After storming to a 7-2 lead, the Aussie stumbled, with seven-time world champion O’Sullivan capitalising. The Brit, who is colloquially known as ‘The Rocket’, won five frames in a row to level the playing field, before going up 9-8 towards the end of the round. However, Robertson refused to crumble under pressure.
The 43-year-old made the most of an uncharacteristic O’Sullivan mistake, completing a superb break of 87 and setting himself up for a famous victory. Speaking with the World Snooker Tour, Robertson described the win as his ‘greatest-ever’.
“This surpasses winning the World Championship,” he told reporters after the final frame thriller. “I have had to answer a lot of questions like whether I can still beat someone like Ronnie in a final of this magnitude. To beat him here with so much on the line, it’s definitely my best win.”
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters marks the Australian’s 26th career title and his second of this calendar year. Robertson famously won the World Championship in 2010, becoming the first Australian to do so; however, in recent years, he has struggled to recapture his best form.
Less than 18 months ago, Robertson’s career looked in doubt after failing to qualify for The Crucible (World Snooker Championship) and slipped outside the world’s top 16. According to WST, the Aussie worked with friend Joe Perry and psychologist Helen Davis to get back on track, setting his sights on the English Open and World Grand Prix. Now, “snooker’s greatest-ever non-British player” is revelling in a newfound glory.
“I can’t explain what this means to me,” said Robertson. “When I was a kid back in Australia, there’s no way I could have dreamed of beating Ronnie in a final like this. The way he played from 7-2 down was unbelievable. I barely did anything wrong. Then the brown he knocked in to go 8-8 was incredible. He was unlucky in the last two frames; he had two splits that didn’t go his way. I am so grateful just to share the stage with him and to put on a great match for the people in Saudi. The fans here have certainly got their money’s worth in the last two years!
“My son will be watching at home. I was trying to stay calm at the end, while he would have been jumping up and down on the couch. (Wife) Mille would have been burying her head in the pillows, not able to watch! I am glad that I could be part of something really special,” he continued. “It feels great to be back in this position. Coming here last year, I was 28th in the world. Hopefully, my story will inspire younger generations because you should never give up, you will get ups and downs, but it’s not about how far you fall, it’s about how far you bounce.”
With the victory, Robertson now draws level with snooker legend Mark Williams in sixth place on the all-time winners’ list. He also rises to third place in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings and now has a commanding lead at the top of the one-year list.
Comments
We love hearing from you. or to leave a comment.