Snooker news - Neil Roberston knocks out Ali Carter to reach European Masters final

Robertson failed to produce a century in the match, his highest break of 79 coming in the sixth frame, as Carter failed to make the most of his chances.

Instead, the Australian took six of the seven frames played to book a place in the final.

Robertson won the first frame 85-40 before Carter immediately levelled.

That was to prove Carter's only success of the night though, and breaks of 55, 79 and 64 were at the heart of five consecutive frames the Australian won to make his way to Sunday's final.

Speaking after the match, Robertson noted his opponent's sluggishness: "Ali’s mindset didn’t seem to be there from the outset, maybe it was a hangover from the Masters.

"It was difficult to play because a lot was going through my mind about what was going on. My concentration was all over the place. I just had to knuckle down, try to be as professional as I could and get the job done.

"It’s always a great occasion being in a final, I always enjoy it. I’ll be playing someone who has never won a ranking event before so he will be hungry."

Robertson will face 22-year-old Zhou Yuelong in the final after he won a tight contest with Gary Wilson 6-5.

The lead constantly changed hands, with neither player able to win more than two frames in a row.

With Zhou facing Robertson in the final it will represent the first time since the Scottish Open in 2017 when two players from outside the UK contested a ranking final.