NEIL ROBERTSON has enjoyed another excellent campaign, winning the English Open, Players Championship and the Masters, and he looks a good bet to pick up his fourth trophy of the season at this week’s Tour Championship.
For good measure, Robertson also reached the final of the World Grand Prix just before Christmas, once again underlining his liking for ITV’s marquee events, and he will return to Wales as defending champion having routed Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-4 in the final of this event 12 months ago.
The Australian has probably touched greatness already and if he continues on the same path, there is little doubt he will finish as one of the finest players to ever grace the game.
While the success of many young international players has been the story of the snooker season, Robertson has remained top of the tree, with his three wins more than anyone else on the tour has managed. The rankings might say otherwise, but you can make a strong argument for Robertson being the best player in the world at present.
The formbook might also suggest that Robertson has gone off the boil just a touch since winning the Players Championship at a canter in February, but I’d be inclined to disagree, instead noting that he has ticked along nicely with a quarter-final appearance at the Welsh Open and a last-16 finish at last week’s Gibraltar Open.
There are never any easy draws in an event made up of the best eight performing players of the season, but all things considered, this is as good as it could have been for Robertson. As such, 10/3 in the outright betting looks very fair.
This draw really is one of two halves, with Judd Trump fairing similarly well and appearing to hold strong claims of enjoying a good run himself, something he did when making back-to-back semi-finals here in 2019 and 2020.
While Trump hasn't been at his consistent, brilliant best this term, he’s still been good enough to win the Champions of Champions and Turkish Masters, as well as reach the final of the Welsh Open, and it’s hard to see him not progressing to another final in Wales.
Trump has drawn Luca Brecel, and though the Belgian enjoyed a golden run before Christmas that sealed his place in this event, the UK Championship runner-up and Scottish Open hero has really struggled since Christmas.
While Trump has hinted that he might be approaching his best form with the World Championship now on the horizon, Brecel appears to be going the other way. A routine success for Trump surely beckons.
Should things go to plan, John Higgins or UK champion Zhao Xintong will await Trump, but the latter has barely won a match since his German Masters victory gave him his second title of the season, while Higgins has appeared to run out of steam since reaching four finals before Christmas.
Higgins might still have too much nous for Zhao over two sessions, but his recent head-to-record against Trump doesn’t make for good reading and, like Robertson, Trump will be happy with the cards he has been handed this week.
That seems the most likely scenario to my mind, with Robertson the value call to enhance what has been another memorable season for this Australian winning machine.
Preview posted at 1730 BST on 27/03/22
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