Neil Robertson outplays John Higgins 5-2: 2011 Shanghai Masters Tournament
The Thunder from Down Under, Neil Robertson, has reached the semi-finals of the 2011 Shanghai Masters as he defeated the reigning world champion, John Higgins, by a frame score of 5-2 in a best-of-nine frames match yesterday, September 9.
The 2011 Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters tournament is currently being staged at the Shanghai Grand Stage in Shanghai, China, and saw a strong performance from the Australian cueist, Robertson, as he stormed into a 2-0 lead with classy breaks of 78
and 59. Though the Scottish professional Higgins levelled the score-line at 2-2 with a top run of 64, he lost the following three in a row.
The Wizard of Wishaw, Higgins, was allowed only a few chances to come to the table by Robertson as he ran out the last three frames with magnificent breaks of 74 and 69 to claim a spot in the semi-final.
Robertson afterwards shared his thoughts with the media. The 29-year-old Robertson, who became the first-ever Australian to win the World Champion last year, stated he is delighted to beat Higgins as he thinks the Scot is a very skilled player.
"I'm steadily improving as the tournament goes on, and that's generally what I've done when I've won tournaments before," said World No 5 Robertson, who has won ranking events in each of the last five calendar years (2006-2010). "I'm feeling good with a
lot of momentum now.”
"In my eyes, John is the greatest player I've ever seen, although I can't judge how good Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry were because they were at their peaks before my time. It's fantastic to beat him, even though he wasn't at his best today.”
The 36-year-old Higgins, who is a four-time Crucible winner, in the meanwhile also shared his feeling, he said, “I tried my best but I wasn't good enough."
Neil Robertson has now set up a potential match with the current World Number One player, Mark Williams, in the semi-final.
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