Masters 2022 - Neil Robertson overcomes early jitters to beat Anthony McGill to reach quarter finals

A below-par Neil Robertson was able to find his potting arm at the right time to see off Anthony McGill 6-3 in the first round of the Masters.

The Australian was decidedly off colour for portions of the match, and McGill appeared the stronger player.

However, the 2010 world champion nicked a couple of frames he did not look like winning, and later found form to progress to the second round.

The players were given a raucous reception by what appeared a lubricated Alexandra Palace crowd, but the atmosphere was dampened slightly by a 12-minute safety battle.

Ironic cheers greeted the first pot, and McGill took advantage of Robertson missing a plant to knock in a 78 to edge ahead.

Robertson replied with a 61, but had to survive a fightback from McGill whose reply was halted in its tracks by an in-off after potting a yellow.

Despite taking the second frame, Robertson did not look settled and an error in the third allowed McGill to craft a break of 115, his 199th career ton.

Christmas may be in the rear-view mirror, but the fourth frame was a tale of gifts. Each presented the other with openings, and it was Robertson who eventually ripped off the wrapping paper and knocked in a 75 to draw level at the mid-session interval.

Robertson was arguably fortunate to share the session, and the state of unease continued in the fifth as he attempted to play a thin safety off the black, but inexplicably missed it and sent the white directly into the pocket.

McGill failed to take the chance, and the Australian regrouped to slot in a break of 95 with the minimum of fuss. Robertson may not have been at his best, but the class was there to pounce on errors.

McGill looked a little stunned by Robertson forging ahead, but he steadied the ship with a break of 75 to get back on level terms at 3-3.

The Scot left the arena to compose himself, and he got a chance again in the following frame. He was amongst the balls, but missed a black off its spot and Robertson was able to edge back in front.

Scrappy rather than vintage play was the order of the day in the eighth. Robertson looked silk-smooth in compiling a 44, but missed a routine red. McGill appeared shocked to get the chance, and it showed as he hit the top jaw of the left middle with a blue. A second opening was not passed up by Robertson who moved to within one frame of victory, entertaining the crowd towards the end of the break with some exhibition snooker.

After missing a couple of plants by huge distances at the start of the match, the Australian would have been delighted to see a glorious long effort drop into the yellow pocket in the ninth.

Robertson was one out of seven with his long pots at one stage, but that is the hallmark of his game and he went eight for nine in the second half of the match. The key one came in the ninth, after he had twice fouled in attempting to get out of a snooker and was warned that one more miss would result in a lost frame. With nothing else on, and the white welded to the baulk cushion, he took dead aim and crunched a red into the bottom right.

It did not seal the contest, but it put Robertson in the driving seat in the frame and he retreated to safety-first snooker to get over the line to set up a meeting with Ronnie O'Sullivan or Jack Lisowski.

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