Robertson lets it slip

Neil Robertson went from composing his victory speech to handing back the Welsh Open trophy after a mental lapse cost him dear at Newport tonight.

The defending champion was beaten 5-3 by Ali Carter in the last 16 of the year’s first world ranking event after convincing himself he would pull off a great escape from 4-0 adrift.

“When I got it back to 4-3 I honestly thought I couldn’t lose,” said the left-hander from Australia, who had been aiming to become only the third player, after Steve Davis and Ronnie O’Sullivan, to retain the title.

Instead, presented with a scoring chance early in the eighth frame, Robertson missed a straightforward yellow to a baulk pocket and Carter pounced with an 89 break.

“I got ahead of myself and out of the present. That’s the biggest mistake you can make in sport. It’s a lesson to be learned,” said Robertson.

“When I got down over the yellow my concentration wasn’t where it should’ve been. I was thinking about what I was going to say to the press afterwards. It was stupid.”

Helped by a kind run of the balls, allied with breaks of 102, 46 and 86, world number 14 Carter threatened to complete a whitewash when he raced into the mid-session interval holding a 4-0 lead.

But the Essex cueman, who was edged 9-8, from 8-3 up, by Barry Hawkins in the last 32 of the UK Championship in December, was made to endure an increasingly anxious hour before finally crossing the line.

Robertson responded with runs of 100 and 72, then dramatically snatched the seventh frame from 54 points adrift at his lowest ebb after Carter, with a golden opportunity, had missed it to a bottom pocket.

Carter said: “At that point I wanted to kill myself but then I started to think and I was determined not to let it affect me. I’ve dwelled on stuff too often in the past and I wasn’t going to do it again.

Of his UK Championship collapse against Hawkins, Carter added: “I think I’ve put that to bed now.”

Carter goes forward to play Ronnie O’Sullivan, who secured his quarter-final appearance with a 5-3 victory over 50 year-old veteran Steve Davis.

Stephen Hendry, a three-time Welsh Open champion who won the tournament’s inaugural staging in 1992, recovered from 4-3 down to squeeze past Ryan Day 5-4.

It was Hendry’s 117th ranking quarter-final but his first since the Malta Cup 12 months ago.

“That was a good win, especially from 4-3 down,” said Hendry, who could not resist a fist pump when the vital ball disappeared.

“I missed a few I should have potted, including one of the easiest pots you’ll see all week but when you’re not 100% confident that’s the kind of thing that plagues you.

“Confidence comes from winning so this result can only do me good.”

Day, from nearby Pontycymmer, led 1-0, 2-1 and 4-3 but could not slam the door in his home tournament. He did not score a point in the closing two frames as Hendry powered in breaks of 71 and 55.

The seven-times world champion, chasing his first silverware for three years, next meets Stephen Lee, a 5-2 conqueror of Michael Judge.