Well that was a shock! Robert Milkins has knocked out one of the tournament favourites, writes Matthew Thomas.
You cannot write a script better than this. To be trailing 5-2 at one point and to turn that around against a player as good as Neil Robertson is just fantastic! Five years ago Milkins was out of the world's top 50 and struggling.
Now things have changed; a family, a new management and a new lease of life.
Robertson, the world number two, is out of the World Snooker Championship losing 10-8 to Gloucester's Robert Milkins.
Milkins was three frames behind during the first session and then won eight out of the next eleven to give the world number nineteen possibly the biggest shock of the tournament so far.Milkins had limited the damage to 5-4 at the end of the first session and took the first of Wednesday's session to draw level. A scrappy start was helping Milkins and he then moved in front at 6-5 before Robertson pegged him back with a break of 86. There was a trend setting in, Milkins would win the scrappy frames and Robertson the more open ones. It showed as Milkins moved back in front before Robertson levelled again with a 61.
Frame fifteen saw the Gloucester man move to within two of victory before the Australian managed to level again at 8-8 with a break of 62.
Another scrappy frame ensued with Milkins moving to within one of the second round and after a mistake from Robertson in frame eighteen Milkins kept his cool and knocked in a break of 51 and eventually won a very tense match to set up a second round clash with Ricky Walden.
For Robertson he will have to wait for his second world title.
Having won the China Open, the final tournament before the World Championship, he was billed as favourite to add to his maiden title in 2010. However, you have to look back fifteen years before you find the last player who has won the tournament preceding the World Championship and that was John Higgins in 1998, who won at the Crucible after winning the British Open a month before.
You cannot write a script better than this. To be trailing 5-2 at one point and to turn that around against a player as good as Neil Robertson is just fantastic! Five years ago Milkins was out of the world's top 50 and struggling.
Now things have changed; a family, a new management and a new lease of life.
Robertson, the world number two, is out of the World Snooker Championship losing 10-8 to Gloucester's Robert Milkins.
Milkins was three frames behind during the first session and then won eight out of the next eleven to give the world number nineteen possibly the biggest shock of the tournament so far.Milkins had limited the damage to 5-4 at the end of the first session and took the first of Wednesday's session to draw level. A scrappy start was helping Milkins and he then moved in front at 6-5 before Robertson pegged him back with a break of 86. There was a trend setting in, Milkins would win the scrappy frames and Robertson the more open ones. It showed as Milkins moved back in front before Robertson levelled again with a 61.
Frame fifteen saw the Gloucester man move to within two of victory before the Australian managed to level again at 8-8 with a break of 62.
Another scrappy frame ensued with Milkins moving to within one of the second round and after a mistake from Robertson in frame eighteen Milkins kept his cool and knocked in a break of 51 and eventually won a very tense match to set up a second round clash with Ricky Walden.
For Robertson he will have to wait for his second world title.
Having won the China Open, the final tournament before the World Championship, he was billed as favourite to add to his maiden title in 2010. However, you have to look back fifteen years before you find the last player who has won the tournament preceding the World Championship and that was John Higgins in 1998, who won at the Crucible after winning the British Open a month before.
