Neil Robertson sweeps aside Mark Selby to reach Tour Championship final
Robertson sails past Selby in the Semis
Neil Robertson thrashed an out of sorts Mark Selby 10-3 to book his place in the final of the 2021 Tour Championship at Celtic Manor.
Runner-up in 2019, Robertson secured his spot in a second Tour Championship final as he swept aside an out of sorts Selby with three century breaks along the way.
The reigning UK Champion did the bulk of the damage in the first session as he opened up a commanding 6-2 lead, before reeling off four of the last five frames to ease into Sunday’s decider.
“I did know what I was doing when I chose not to play in a few events, I think people were starting to write me off,” Robertson told ITV Sport.
“I know if I’m putting the work in and I feel very good mentally and my preparation is going very well before and during the event then I’ve got a great chance.
“Overall that was a very good performance, I think I found the right balance between attack and defence, which you have to do against Mark.
“Sometimes previously when we’ve played, I’ve been drawn a bit too defensive and got out of my rhythm.
“I was very quick to pounce on any mistakes he made and my safety was fantastic throughout the match, I created a lot of opportunities.”
After taking the opening frame, Robertson stunned Selby by reeling off a further three on the spin with breaks of 114, 81 and 77.
Selby did eventually get off the mark after the interval with a break of 80 and followed it up with an impressive 93 break to close the gap to 4-2.
A break of 52 was enough to seal frame seven for Robertson, before clinching a low-scoring eighth to restore a four-frame cushion at the halfway stage.
The Australian began the evening session in sensational style as he set a new tournament high break target of 136 to stretch his lead.
The heavy scoring continued for ‘The Thunder from Down Under’ as he added a break of 84, before Selby temporarily stopped the rot with the aid of a 55 break.
Robertson, though, resumed normal service with a terrific break of 103 before easing his way to frame 13 to clinch victory and set up a clash with either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Barry Hawkins in Sunday’s show-piece.