Neil Robertson had to race against the clock at the Scottish Open on Monday after Ronnie O'Sullivan 's swift century break saw him wrap up in record time.
'The Rocket' routed China's Bai Langning 4-0 in a little more than 45 minutes, scoring an impressive 118 break in three minutes and 34 seconds. Commentators initially suggested that was a new record for a televised century break, but it was later confirmed Tony Drago's 1996 benchmark was three seconds faster.
Robertson kept a close eye on that clash from the player hotel near Meadowbank Sports Centre, expecting he'd have plenty of time before his own match against Mark Davis. However, O'Sullivan's searing century in the second frame piled the pressure on 'The Thunder from Down Under' to get a move on.
Who do you think will win the 2022 Scottish Open? Let us know in the comments section.
"In Ireland earlier this season, my match was not before 8pm but I didn't get on until 10pm," Robertson told Eurosport. "Sometimes you can be in the players' lounge for two hours doing nothing and it is awful.
"The hotel is only five minutes away and I was keeping an eye on the scores and saw Ronnie went 2-0 up so I thought I best get a taxi down. I was outside waiting and then saw it was 3-0 when I got in the taxi!"
The Australian could at least feel glad there were no such awkward waiting time before he faced Davis. Robertson clearly didn't suffer from the rush and dispatched his opponent 4-1, recording a high break of 104 in the process.
It wasn't all fun and games en route to the last 64, however, as Robertson lost his cool with one audience member for moving while he was about to take a shot. Not that it had much of an impact as he regathered his composure to win the frame in question, as well as the match.
Robertson will face India's Himanshu Jain in the next stage of the competition. He's targeting his second Scottish Open crown having previously clinched the 2017 title when the tournament was held in Glasgow.
O'Sullivan is looking like a threat in Edinburgh, so it's perhaps fortunate the two-time Scottish Open-winner is in the opposite half of the bracket and can't meet Robertson until the final. The Australian could meet fifth seed Mark Selby as soon as the quarter-finals, though Robertson will have to beat Jain on Tuesday evening before he can think consider that a possibility.
