Neil Robertson thrashed Wu Yize 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in York, as he continues his quest to return to the business end of one of snooker’s biggest events.
The Thunder from Down Under is a three-time UK Champion, having lifted the famous trophy in 2013, 2014 and 2020. However, he arrived in York having not won a match in the event since he last captured the title. Victory over Belgian qualifier Julien Leclercq in round one ended that run and today’s dominant display establishes Robertson as a key contender for silverware this time around.
Robertson has enjoyed a fine season so far, having beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9 in the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. He was also runner-up to Zhao Xintong at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
Wu came into this week off the back of a superb triumph at the recent International Championship, where he beat John Higgins in the final to secure a maiden ranking title. However, Australia’s Robertson proved to be too strong today.
It was 22-year-old Wu who took the opener today, before Robertson ran rampant. Breaks of 51, 65, 75, 56 and 68 helped him to six frames on the bounce and a routine victory. That sets up a last eight meeting with Pang Junxu.
43-year-old Robertson said: “I thought after losing the first frame, which I should have won, I mentally recovered very quickly. I pounced on a couple of mistakes from him. After the interval I thought I was quite strong.
“I’m expecting tougher challenges ahead. There are a lot of great players still in the event and a lot of previous winners. I’m really pleased with the progress so far.
“I haven’t won a match since winning this event, so getting through the first match was good. I love coming up to York and all of the Triple Crown events. There is great production. It is great just looking up at the commentary box and seeing Dennis Taylor and things like that.”
On the other table, Pang defeated three-time World Champion Mark Williams 6-3 to make the UK Championship quarter-finals for the first time in his career.
With the tie in the balance at 4-3, Pang pounced on moment of bad luck for Williams when he inadvertantly fouled a red into the middle pocket. A break of 53 moved the Chinese cueman one from victory at 5-3. He then hammered home the highest break of the match, a run of 116, to get over the line and book his last eight clash with Robertson.
25-year-old Pang said: “It feels unbelievable right now. I’ve managed to beat two great players in a row, Xiao Guodong in the first round and now Mark Williams. I’m honestly exhausted, but very happy.
“The Triple Crown events are very different. It all feels much bigger than regular tournaments. For professional players, these events hold a special meaning, so the emotions are definitely different.
“A lot of Chinese players have achieved very good results this season, including Xiao Guodong winning a ranking title. We practise together often, and seeing them lift trophies is very motivating for me. That inspires us to improve and hopefully win titles ourselves.
“Neil Robertson has been playing well this season. I’ve played him many times before, with wins and losses. Facing him always excites me — his style of play brings the best out of me. I hope our match will be a great one.”
Defending champion Judd Trump battled to a 6-3 win over Si Jiahui to make the quarter-finals of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in York.
World number one Trump captured the title 12 months ago after a fiercely contested final, in which he beat Barry Hawkins 10-8. His dominance of the sport at the time has ensured that he has spent the last year at the top of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings.
However, he hasn’t lifted silverware since last year’s win in York. If Trump fails to win this week, he will have gone the calendar year of 2025 without a tournament win. The last time that happened to him was 2013.
Having tried changing cues recently, Trump has returned to the cue he won the 2019 World Championship with, alongside many other events. It appears to be paying dividends so far this week.
Last time the pair met, Si put on a stunning display to make a 147 en route to beating Trump 6-2 in semi-finals of the 2024 Wuhan Open. That performance was described by Trump as one of the best he has ever been pitted against.
The opening two frames this evening were split, before Trump made 117 in the third to lead 2-1. He then trailed 65-1 in the fourth and summoned a sensational clearance of 65 to steal by a point and move 3-1 up at the mid-session.
Trump appeared to be cruising to the line when a 37-minute fifth went his way. However, two on the bounce from Si made it 4-3 and left the tie in the balance.
The Ace in the Pack edged to the verge of victory and then forced himself over the line with a match winning break of 50 in the ninth. Awaiting Trump is either Ding Junhui or Scott Donaldson.
“I think it was pretty good, especially at the start up until 4-1. There was a little wobble in the middle of the game but in the end it was a slight improvement on round one,” said 36-year-old Trump.
“If he gets back to 4-4 it is game on again. Those are the crucial times and moments you have to be potting key balls. He is still very young and quite inexperienced when it comes to this kind of tournament. He will learn from it.
“It is nice to just be playing snooker. I don’t know what will happen after this tournament but for now I’m very comfortable with this cue. Everything is good. The venue is great, conditions are perfect and this is somewhere I enjoy coming.”
On the other table, four-time World Champion Mark Selby scored a 6-2 win over Zhou Yuelong to book his quarter-final slot.
Selby looks to be in fine form this week, having already comfortably beaten Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan 6-2 in round one. Defeat for qualifier Zhou means he fails to cash in on a landmark 6-4 defeat of Ronnie O’Sullivan in his opening match.
The pair were level at 2-2 heading into the interval this evening. When play resumed they contested a marathon 53-minute frame. Selby ironically tapped his watch after claiming it to move 3-2 ahead.
The following frames saw him hammer home breaks of 71, 75 and 56 to secure victory. He awaits either Barry Hawkins or Elliot Slessor in the quarters.
Selby said: “If you can’t get confidence from beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in a big match you never will do. It looked like he had that at the start of the match. He’s had a good season as well. I knew it was going to be a tough game.
“It is getting harder to win Triple Crown titles. It was hard anyway, but it is even harder now with the standard. I feel like I’m happy with my game. I’m giving myself a chance in the tournament and that is all you can ask for.”
Again, with just four matches to report on, WST’s post are comprehensive enough and I have not much to add. Wu’s performance was disappointing, but that happens. Nobody can play at their best all the time and once Neil gets on top of an opponent, he’s ruthless. The other matches went the way I expected. Willo did well to get thus far, but at 50, he’s no more the force he used to be and Pang is very solid.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 