Neil Robertson beat Alfie Borden 5-0 in the second round of the European Masters, a game he was just a few goals away from becoming the first player to break 5 consecutive shots in a professional game, missing out on a new record.
In the 64-32 game, Robertson took a 4-0 lead with 105 points, 101 points, 107 points and 116 points, and then scored a high score in the fifth set, but the white ball went wrong with two red balls remaining, and the single score stopped at 76 points. His opponent Borden scored just seven free throws for the entire game.
Despite his regrets, Robertson became the first player to blast 4-stroke 100 in a row in a professional game twice. He once beat Ahmed Sayf 4-0 in a PTC tournament in 2013 without conceding a single point. The other six players who have scored four consecutive 100 shots in the game are John Higgins, Gary Wilson, Mark Allen, Sean Murphy, Stephen Maguire and Ronin.
World No. 4 Robertson also built a 522-point non-response streak in this game, a record holder for Ronnie O'Sullivan, who scored a 556-point streak against Richie Wharton at the 2014 Masters.
"I scored some key goals that had to be scored, and then at the end it was probably a little too easy, I went overboard on the powder ball. If the pink ball is straight, I will definitely be able to score the last few balls easily. It would be great if you could do it, but it would be okay to break the hundred with four consecutive strokes. ”
"[5 consecutive shots to break 100] would be a fantastic record and I'm disappointed not to be able to turn this rare opportunity into a record. Everything needs to be right and then blow up opportunities on the red ball. My school position is very good, but I still need luck when blowing up the ball pile. I'm sorry for Alfie (Boden) because he really didn't do anything wrong. ”
Robertson will face Pang Junxu in the round of 32, with the match scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. Beijing time. Robertson responded to O'Sullivan's view of him as a favourite to win the World Championships: "Ronnie (O'Sullivan) picked out the favourites two months before the Start of the World Championships, as if he were doing this every year to put pressure on us! He was sincere about my assessment and we have great respect for each other. I'm very comfortable playing as a favourite in a competition, all I'm doing is playing offensive snooker and hitting a high single. ”
Judd Trump was on the same day as Selby, but he completed the comeback after falling behind 2-4, beating world Number 48 Jack Jones 5-4. Jones had a single 115, 94 and 128 points in the game, but Trump shot a three-shot 50+ to defend his dignity and will play against Kurt Maflin in the next round.
Mitchell Mann beat Thai fast gunner Tachaia Unu 5-0; Anthony McGill scored 134 points and scored 124 points twice to beat Iranian player Hussein Wafi 5-0; Sean Murphy was once again out early, losing 3-5 to Thailand's Noppen Sankham.