Neil Robertson, Australia's master cueman, has broken out of probably the worst spell of his distinguished snooker career to reach the semi-finals of the World Open in China.
The 2010 world champion has made it into the last-four in Yushan on Friday after a brilliant performance against veteran Barry Hawkins, beating the Englishman 5-2 with the help of two century breaks (127 and 115) and three half-centuries (87, 87 and 79).
Following three century breaks in his last-16 win over Chris Wakelin, it's a welcome return to form for the 42-year-old Melburnian, long one of the game's greats who has slumped in the rankings to the point where he will have to qualify for this year's world championships unless he wins in China.
He's in just his second semi-final of the season following another deep run in China in the Shanghai Masters back in September, and his first in any ranking event since the 2022 Scottish Open.
Robertson will retain his precious top-16 ranking with victory in this tournament and was left smiling: "My game is absolutely back to where it should be now, and that is really exciting heading into the back end of the season."
He's set himself up with a big semi-final on Saturday against China's snooker hero, Ding Junhui, who was himself in brilliant form as he reeled off breaks of 73, 74, 135 and 102 in a 5-0 whitewash of Hossein Vafaei, who'd knocked out world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the previous round.
"It is a blockbuster match tomorrow. If you can't enjoy playing Ding in a semi-final in China, then there's something wrong," said Robertson.
In the other semi-final, defending champion Judd Trump will face 22-year-old Welshman Jackson Page.
World No.2 Trump, who won when the tournament was last played in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic, beat Kyren Wilson 5-2, while outsider Page, the world No.52 who'd already knocked out former world champions John Higgins and Mark Selby, defeated Elliot Slessor 5-2.
