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'Thunder' into UK semis with 750th ton

3 minute read

Australian Neil Robertson achieved another snooker landmark, notching up his 750th career century break en route to beating Mark Selby at the UK Championships.

Australia's Neil Robertson ticked off another milestone in his distinguished snooker career when he recorded his 750th century break to seal a 6-2 victory over Mark Selby and power into the semi-finals of the UK Championships.

The 'Thunder from Down Under', who's been playing some superb snooker despite not yet having won a tournament this season for the first time in 15 years, quite outplayed England's three-time world champion Selby in their quarter-final at Milton Keynes.

Even more than another former world champion Judd Trump, the 38-year-old from Melbourne looks the man to beat at the Marshall Arena as he racked up another couple of smooth centuries to take his season-leading tally to 35.

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, watching on Eurosport, was in awe of Robertson's performance, saying: "It's like he's playing on a pool table, it's like the table's shrinking, and that's a beautiful feeling to have.

"He's making it look so easy, striking the ball very, very well. He's a player at the peak of his powers. I don't think he can get any better than this as a player. He's just a great all-rounder."

After taking control of the match from the start with an opening 75 break, the two-time UK champ Robertson followed up with a brilliant run of 122 in the next frame.

It took Selby nearly an hour to pot his first ball, such was Robertson's domination of the early exchanges as he raced into a 3-0 lead.

"I had a 100 per cent pot success, 100 per cent safety success and 100 per cent long pot success, so I guess when you've got those sort of stats going for you, you're going to be pretty hard to beat," said Robertson of those early frames.

Selby, famed for his grit, battled back to make it 3-2 but breaks of 56, 91 and then a total clearance of 130 - Robertson's landmark 750th ton - saw the world No.3 set up a semi-final with China's Yuelong Zhou, who defeated England's Jack Lisowski 6-4.

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