Coming from 9-4 down to beat John Higgins 10-9 in Llandudno, Neil Robertson’s remarkable comeback in the final of Tour Championship

Neil Robertson had decided to claim his fourth title of stellar campaign that he has already seen him as winner of the English Open, Masters and Players Championship, but the victory has seemed out of reach when the Higgins was on cusp of sealing, about what would have a clinical and deserved success.  

He missed out yellow when on the verge of completing a 10-4 triumph is one Higgins is sure to rue for some time, this is now his fifth final defeat of the season, but indeed Neil was superb when on the brink, producing breaks of 54, 108, 72, 93 and 72 to claim back-to-back Tour Championship wins.

In the match that had just about everything, John Higgins was on the front foot for the long periods, raced into a 3-0 lead, only to be pegged back to 3-3, before the end of the opening session by winning the final two frames to hold a 5-3 advantage.

On that afternoon session featured five century breaks, Higgins was responsible for three of them, though he wasn’t quite as destructive in the evening, his flawless safety play continued to keep Robertson out as he moved 8-4 and then 9-4 in front.

Whereas Robertson founded his best when he needed it most, quickly turning the tables on John Higgins who had suddenly began to wilt in the face of the Australian’s fierce onslaught.

While he still had chances, Higgins didn’t really do good deal wrong from 9-4 to 9-9 as Robertson barely missed any beat, as the deciding frame saw both players make early mistakes, Higgins most significantly when he missed a straightforward red with the table seemingly at his mercy.

Neil was not mood to do the same, ruthlessly stepping in and navigating his way through a match-winning break of 72 that it was then enough to seal the 23rd ranking win of his career. While speaking with World Snooker tour, Neil said “I always believe that I can come back from any position. The way I play the game means that if I can get the momentum then I can go on a winning streak in a number of frames.”

He added, “”I wasn’t allowing the match to get bogged down. John was just dictating the position of the balls. I didn’t have too many answers. When he went 9-4 up he was at his best, it was incredible to experience playing against him. When you aren’t making too many mistakes it is easier to get back into a match. I wasn’t kicking myself over anything, because John was just playing too well.

“He concluded by saying: “He was really unlucky at certain times, but that is what you need to be able to come back in a match. I feel for him big time. He is such a fantastic person and a wonderful player. He will use that for motivation at the World Championship as he always does. It is like I’ve had three finals this week against brilliant players. Hopefully that will hold me in good stead. I can have a few days off now, chill and relax. Then I will get back into preparations for the worlds.”