Robertson back to winning ways

Neil Robertson won his first tournament for over a year by beating Ricky Walden 4-1 in the final of the Players Tour Championship event six in Warsaw on Sunday.

Australia’s Robertson won the World Championship in May last year and then the World Open in September, which put him top of the world rankings. He has since struggled to recapture that form, but played superbly in the first ever professional tournament in Poland to take the €10,000 first prize.

The ‘Thunder from Down Under’ won seven matches in all at the Arena Ursynow, finishing with a commanding win over Chester-based Walden.

Breaks of 76, 69 and 95 gave Robertson three of the first four frames, Walden’s response coming with a 62 in frame two.

Frame five saw Walden open with a run of 46, but left-hander Robertson compiled a measured 68 clearance to secure victory.

“I couldn’t have had a tougher draw as I’ve beaten the likes of Ebdon, Maguire and Murphy to reach the final,” said Robertson, who has now won a tournament carrying ranking points in each of the last six years.

“I had been on a good run of form recently with a couple of semi-finals and I was really disappointed to lose in the semis in Shanghai.

“That was a wake-up call because you have to be efficient in the final stages of tournaments. It’s all about winning them because that’s what you’ll be remembered for.

“So, I’m really pleased to convert this one.”

Robertson moves up one place in the world rankings to fourth.

In the semi-finals, Walden edged a 4-3 win over veteran Steve Davis, who had enjoyed an inspired run to the latter stages. Robertson easily saw off Stephen Lee 4-0.

The Players Tour Championship is a series of 12 tournaments, six in the UK and six in Europe, with the top 24 in the final Order of Merit to qualify for the Grand Finals in March, providing they have played in at least three domestic and three overseas events.

The seventh tournament in the series is at the South West Academy in Gloucester this week.