Neil Robertson v Chris Wakelin live stream | Champion of Champions Semi-Final preview
Robertson and Wakelin eye a place in Sunday’s final (Credit: PA Images)
Neil Robertson and Chris Wakelin do battle on Friday to be the first man through to this year’s Champion of Champions final in Leicester.
Both players are making their first semi-final appearances of the season, though this stage of the Champion of Champions is much more familiar to Robertson.
The Thunder, who lifted the trophy in 2015 and 2019, is set to compete in the last four of the popular invitational event for the eighth time, and looking to progress to his fourth final.
Robertson, also a runner-up in 2020, advanced to this stage as the Group Four winner on Tuesday.
After avoiding an upset against reigning Women’s World champion Panchaya Channoi, he hit a top break of 130 on the way to a 6-3 victory over Championship League and British Open winner Jak Jones.
Despite leading the head-to-head 8-3, though, he will be wary of Wakelin, who has beaten him at the Crucible, as well as in their most recent encounter at this season’s Shenzhen Open.
The reigning Scottish Open champion was the first man to book his place in the last four, after prevailing from Group One on Monday.
Wakelin was whitewashed 4-0 by John Higgins on his sole previous Champion of Champions appearance three years ago, but broke his duck with a commanding 4-1 win over Barry Hawkins.
He then dethroned reigning champion Mark Selby by prevailing 6-2 in their group final, and the Ace is now just two more wins away from claiming the biggest title of his career.
The two players have only previously contested one semi-final, with Robertson a dominant 6-1 victor on his way to lifting the Steve Davis trophy at the 2024 English Open.
Wakelin will hope to avenge that just over two years later, with either Shaun Murphy or Kyren Wilson awaiting the winner in Sunday’s final.
The match breaks off at 7pm GMT on Friday, and will be contested over the best of 11 frames at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
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