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Neil Robertson has battled into the quarter-finals of the UK Championships as he seeks a third title in the game's second-biggest tournament.

Australia's world No.3 Neil Robertson battled back from 4-2 down against Anthony McGill and reeled off the last four frames to book his place in the quarter-finals of the UK Championships.

The former world champion criticised himself for trying to be too precise with his shot-making in his 6-4 win at Milton Keynes' Marshall Arena and had to show plenty of resolve against Scot McGill, who reached the semi-finals at this year's world championships.

Again, though, the 38-year-old left-hander Robertson rediscovered the form which has seen him widely tipped to pick up his third UK crown as his all-round quality prevailed.

"I think, to use a football term, I tried to walk the ball into the net too many times, trying to be too precise. A few times I broke down on a break, trying to be too precise," Robertson told Eurosport.

"You can't play perfect snooker all the time," added the Melbourne perfectionist.

Some of his snooker, though, was quite superb after he began the high-standard match with a break of 94, only for McGill to hit back with runs of 100 and then 69.

Robertson got to the interval all-square thanks to a break of 83 but looked to be in real danger of being knocked out when McGill forged ahead 4-2 with a 127 break.

It only served to bring out the best in Robertson, who made a 132 break in the next frame - his 33rd century of the season - and then won the next three, including a match-sealing 82 in the 10th frame.

Robertson will now meet either three-time world champion Mark Selby or Barry Hawkins in the last-eight.

The shock of the day saw four-time world champion John Higgins crash out 6-2 to the 22-year-old Chinese star Zhou Yuelong.