Northern Ireland Open 2021 snooker - Neil Robertson thrashes Xu Si without dropping a frame
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Updated 13/10/2021 at 17:06 GMT
Robertson grew into the encounter after taking a hard-fought opening frame thanks to a delightful escape on the yellow, and sealed the win with a superb century break after Xu had twice failed to capitalise on chances to build a break. The Australian will next face Ricky Walden in Belfast. Watch the 2021 Northern Ireland Open live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.
'I'd like to put the record straight' - Robertson keen to show top form in Belfast
Neil Robertson produced a statement performance as he thrashed Xu Si without conceding a frame.
The Australian has a curiously pedestrian previous record at the Northern Ireland Open but showed signs of his best form in despatching the young Chinese player 4-0.
Robertson, the 2010 world champion, survived some early inconsistency to produce his best snooker in the final frame and advance to the last 32 in Belfast.
A long, back and forth opening frame eventually fell the way of the Australian, who produced an outstanding escape having been embedded in the bottom right corner behind the black by Xu.
His trip around the houses to strike the yellow was rewarded by an error from the Chinese player, with Robertson directing the same ball from a distance for the corner pocket.
Robertson then cleared the table of its colours to take a 1-0 advantage.
The second frame was more comfortable as Robertson found his cue despite a mid-frame aberration that forced a second visit.
The Australian swiftly added a third to his tally as he took command of the baize, though he was again unable to decide it in a single string of shots.
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Indeed Xu had a chance to arrest momentum after a poor safety from Robertson but collided with a red after potting another, and compounding his positional error by going in-off the yellow. Robertson duly swept up his opponent's error to extend his lead.
Xu finally had the chance to get amongst the balls in the fourth frame but twice made errors as he looked to build a break. On the second occasion an over-cut pink let Robertson back to the table with a limited deficit of 13.
From there it was reasonably simple progress for the Australian, splitting the remaining reds as he moved beyond a half-century.
From there it was an exhibition of perfect positional snooker as Robertson moved to a superb century on the blue, leaving only pink and black as the two players shook hands.
Robertson will next face England's Ricky Walden for a place in the last 16.
Later, Shaun Murphy survived an almighty scare as he beat close friend Allan Taylor 4-3 to progress to the last 32.
Favouring an aggressive, shot-making style, Taylor established a 3-1 lead in an untidy first half of the match at the Northern Ireland Open.
A scrappy opening frame saw both players struggle to find their flow in Belfast.
Taylor managed to secure it despite missing a cannon on the penultimate red after clearing the table of the single-point balls and knocking in the black.
Murphy hit back immediately by taking another scratchy affair as both players continued to miss pots.
The third was a similarly drab fare. Taylor twice squandered chances while in the balls but on his third invitation to the table from Murphy, the 36 year old worked niftily around the baulk colours to re-take the advantage.
He further asserted himself on the match by winning the fourth frame to put Murphy within a frame of exiting.
Indeed it appeared like Taylor may put out Murphy after a hefty dose of fortune at the start of a potential game-sealing frame, missing a long red wildly but watching the ball come off the side cushion and nestle deep in the corner pocket.
The 2005 world champion had to hit back and did, producing the most fluent snooker of the match in compiling a fine break of 77.
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‘That is another beauty!’ - Taylor drills long red during Murphy match
Neither player found their shots in the sixth frame but a clever opening of the reds from Murphy enabled him to square the match and take the players into a decider.
The last frame was a turgid affair but it looked like Murphy had it won when he got 60 on the board from multiple visits. That had left Taylor requiring two snookers. An exchange of considered safety play ensued, with Taylor securing one of the required infractions. However, Murphy pounced on two minor positional missteps to first pot the yellow and then the brown to seal his spot in the next round.
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Stream the Northern Ireland Open live and on demand on discovery+, the Eurosport app and eurosport.com.
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