Welsh Open 2024: Neil Robertson survives scare to join Mark Williams in third round, Ding Junhui crashes out
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Updated 13/02/2024 at 18:30 GMT
World No. 100 Stuart Carrington put seventh-rank Neil Robertson through his paces in the second round of the Welsh Open, but the two-time winner eventually won 4-3 to book his spot in round three. Ding Junhui suffered a shock defeat to Robbie Williams, who is 40 places below him in the rankings, while Mark Williams managed to avoid a similar fate against Sanderson Lam, edging a tight encounter.
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Neil Robertson avoided a scare against Stuart Carrington at the Welsh Open to win 4-3 and seal his place in the third round.
Carrington, who is ranked 93 places lower than the Australian, fought from 3-1 down to force a deciding frame.
Robertson held his nerve to get the job done and book his spot in the next round where he will take on Rickey Walden, who overturned a 3-0 deficit to beat Matthew Stevens.
It was a relatively slow start for Robertson off the back of his 4-1 crushing of Jackson Page on Monday, as a couple of easy misses helped Carrington kick off with a tidy break of 63 to take an early lead.
With the pack spread, Carrington missed a decisive red at the beginning of the second frame to allow Robertson in with a maximum on offer. He could not quite achieve perfection, but he got relatively close with a total clearance of 139 - his 924th career century - to level the match.
Robertson gifted Carrington the chance to recapture the lead in the third after he directed a red into the knuckle of the middle pocket. Carrington returned to the baize to knock in a red and followed up with a decent green as he set himself up for a worthy run.
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‘Levels the match in style!’ – Robertson makes 924th career century with total clearance
However, in an attempt to redeem a poor positional shot, Carrington missed the ball completely as he tried to clip a red into the left-middle pocket, and could only watch on as Robertson cleared the table to take control for the first time.
Robertson did enough in a tighter and subsequently much slower frame to extend his leading buffer to two frames, edging over the line with 65 points to 12 to move within a frame of victory.
Carrington had been sloppier than he would have liked after drawing first blood in the opener, which had allowed Robertson to find his rhythm and move into a comfortable lead. But just as The Thunder looked on course to close out the match and confirm his spot in the third round, Carrington pipped another long frame to keep the contest alive.
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He looked down and out at one point in the frame as Robertson beautifully knocked in a tight red to right-middle as Carrington struggled to find a way in. Robertson ran out of room with a red and high-value colour still required, and when he looked to plant one in the left middle pocket, he hit the knuckle to gift his opponent a big chance.
After looking beaten ten minutes before, Carrington put together a break of 50 to clear the remaining reds as he battled back to force a sixth frame.
Robertson moved 42 points ahead and he looked to wrap up the match without any more interference, but as he missed a green, Carrington returned to the table with his eyes on a long red, but he couldn’t send it down. As Robertson attempted to finish the match for the second time, missed another red to the middle pocket as frustration grew.
Carrington chipped away with a break of 61 and left Robertson needing a snooker, but he went in-off before he surrendered the frame and the players headed for a decider.
Robertson rediscovered his groove just at the right time, knocking in a break of 72 to move into the next round.
Earlier in the day, Ding Junhui suffered a second-round upset at the Welsh Open after losing to Robbie Williams.
The world No. 11 came up against an opponent 40 places lower in the rankings at Venue Cymru in Llandudno.
But he was immediately on the back foot as Williams won two frames on the bounce with 62 and 78 respectively.
Ding found his way back into the game, however, taking the third frame with an impressive 88, before drawing level in a close fourth frame with a clearance of 66.
The momentum then swung back in favour of Williams, who did not give Ding a look-in during the fifth frame by producing a sensational 119 break.
He then wrapped up the 4-2 victory with 72, booking a place in the third round of the Home Nations Series event.
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'Pure class' - Williams makes 117 century break to take frame three against Lam
Meanwhile, home favourite Mark Williams avoided the same fate suffered by Ding against Sanderson Lam.
The world No. 8 was taken all the way by Lam, who is 57 places lower in the world rankings.
Williams took the first frame with 91, but Lam responded well, settling for an impressive 89 break after missing a red at the end of the second frame.
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'Didn't reach!' - Lam with the foul ahead of second rame re-rack
Lam missed a red again at the start of the third frame and this turned out to be of more detriment, with Williams jumping in to make a brilliant 117 century break to take the third frame.
The fourth frame went to Lam with 61 after he capitalised on a couple of errors by Williams, but his opponent again took the lead in the fifth frame with 76.
Williams came close to winning the match in the sixth frame, but instead gave Lam the opportunity to force a decider. He did indeed take this chance, hitting his second 89 of the match.
It required another impressive break from Williams to win the decider and he managed 93, seeing him into the third round where he will play Anthony McGill.
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