Tour Championship 2022 - Neil Robertson produces amazing fightback to stun John Higgins and claim title
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Updated 04/04/2022 at 05:42 GMT
Neil Robertson defended the Tour Championship title he won 12 months ago, but was put through the mill by John Higgins. Higgins has been in a series of finals this season without getting the job done and it happened again as the spectators in Llandudno were treated to a quite stunning game of snooker.
Neil Robertson (WST)
Image credit: Other Agency
Neil Robertson produced a comeback for the ages to beat John Higgins 10-9 to win the Tour Championship for the second year in a row.
The Australian rallied from 9-4 down to shock Higgins and win his fourth title of the season.
It will be a bitter pill to swallow for Higgins, as he was the better player for much of the contest - knocking in five centuries - but was toppled by Robertson in a final for the second time this season after an agonising 9-8 loss at the English Open in November.
Focus will now shift to the Crucible, and both Higgins and Robertson will be able to take confidence into the World Championship after a high-calibre affair in Llandudno - albeit the Scot will need to pick himself up from another final defeat.
The first frame of the evening mirrored the opening one of the match - with both having chances. A slack safety from Robertson handed Higgins a sighter at the final red and he knocked it into the green pocket and cleared to the pink to re-establish a three-frame cushion.
Higgins extended his advantage to four frames on the back of breaks of 33 and 68, as Robertson paid the price for missing a tough red to left middle.
Robertson saw a red wriggle in the jaws of the bottom left before staying out at the start of the 11th frame, and shortly afterwards played a lax safety which resulted in Higgins extending his lead to five frames.
After seeing Higgins run through three frames on the spin to start the evening, Robertson stopped the rot with a 91 to keep his hopes alive.
Higgins is never one to take a backward step, and he returned following the final interval to knock in a brilliant long red and it set up a break of 84 to move the Scot within one frame of the title.
Robertson kept himself in the hunt by taking frames 14 and 15 to cut Higgins’ advantage to three frames.
The Australian set alarm bells ringing in the Higgins camp by making it three frames on the spin to cut the gap to 9-7.
Robertson looked totally outgunned at 9-4, but he found the form that had won him three titles already this term and he moved within one frame of Higgins with a run of 66.
In a tournament of classic matches, it was fitting that the final went to a deciding frame - which was set up by Robertson knocking in a trademark long red to get in and set up a break of 93.
After spending an age in his chair watching a Robertson fightback, Higgins longed for a chance. He got one in the decider after Robertson missed a risky plant, but he failed with a makeable pot to the bottom right and the Australian demonstrated nerves of steel to seal the defence of the title with a break of 72.
Afternoon session
John Higgins eked out a 5-3 advantage over Neil Robertson after a high-quality first session of the Tour Championship final.
After a 51-minute opening frame, the pair traded blows like heavyweight boxers as the spectators in Llandudno were treated to a sparkling session of high breaks.
Higgins knocked in three centuries, while Robertson responded with two as he just about kept on the coat-tails of the rampaging Scot.
The first was a tense affair, and the longest frame of the tournament. It boiled down to a battle on the colours and looked set to go Robertson’s way after he drew an error from Higgins when trying to get the green safe.
But the Australian failed to get position from blue to pink and later handed a tough chance to his opponent. The pink to the green pocket with the rest was not easy, but Higgins found the heart of it and then knocked in the black to take the early lead.
Grabbing the opener was a shot in the arm for Higgins, and he showed his confidence was high by knocking in a tough black towards the start of the second which set him on his way to a total clearance of 136 for a two-frame lead.
Robertson was unfortunate to leave Higgins a shot at a plant from a safety in the third and paid a heavy price as the Scot knocked it in and made his second ton on the spin - a 126.
The defending champion was firmly under pressure after Higgins’ back-to-back tons but he responded with a 130 to get on the board - with the break set up by a glorious long red with the cue ball tight on the baulk rail.
The frame upon the resumption resembled the tense opener, albeit not as long. It went the way of Robertson, who won a safety battle with a couple of reds remaining on the table to cut the gap to one.
The quality ratcheted up a notch in the sixth, as Robertson had the crowd on the edge of their seats as he set about a 147 attempt. He got all the way to the blue, but with it welded on the baulk rail he played it with power to get up for the pink only to see it wriggle in the jaws of the yellow pocket and stay out.
The standard of play at the Tour Championship has been exceptional. Robertson’s win over Ronnie O’Sullivan was one of the best matches of the season so far but the final could be about to mirror it as Higgins hit back with a stunning 127 - missing out on the highest break of the tournament when seeing the pink stay on the table.
Higgins ensured he would take a two-frame lead into the evening session after knocking in a break of 80, missing out on a fourth ton after failing to sink a tough red to the right middle.
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