Neil Robertson has continued his march back to snooker's summit in his roaring forties, the master Australian cueman hammering China's rising star Wu Yize 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the UK Championship in York.
The 43-year-old Melburnian is now enjoying a real purple patch after his slump last year and is looking good to challenge for his fourth UK title at the York Barbican -- one of snooker's 'triple crown' events along with the world championships and the Masters.
The 'Thunder from Down Under' last won the UKs in 2020 and hadn't won a match in the event since then, but after his victory over Belgian qualifier Julien Leclercq in round one ended that miserable sequence, he provided a terrific display on Wednesday to crush Wu, despite losing the opening frame.
"I thought after losing the first frame, which I should have won, I mentally recovered very quickly, and I pounced on a couple of mistakes from him," said Robertson.
"Then, after the interval, I thought I was quite strong."
Though he didn't compile his customary century, ton machine Robertson was still pretty efficient, rattling off breaks of 51, 65, 75, 56 and 68 to win six frames on the trot and set up a last-eight date with another Chinese player, Pang Junxu.
It's the latest indication that 2010 world champion Robertson is recovering the form that's made him one of the game's all-time greats with six victories in the 'triple crown' events.
So far this season, he's beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-9 in the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters and was runner-up to Zhao Xintong at the Riyadh Season Championship. Back to third in the world rankings, he's also top of snooker's one-year list for prize money after his lucrative Saudi jaunts.
"I'm expecting tougher challenges ahead. There are a lot of great players still in the event and a lot of previous winners," said Robertson. "I'm really pleased with the progress so far."
