NEIL ROBERTSON expects Stuart Bingham to have “vengeance in his veins” when they battle on Tuesday – NINE DAYS after that Far East whitewash.
The Australian smashed the Basildon potter 10-0 as he lifted the £180,000 World Grand Prix in Hong Kong this month.
AlamyNeil Robertson recently lifted the World Grand Prix trophy in Hong Kong[/caption]
AlamyThe Aussie potter beat Stuart Bingham 10-0 in the final[/caption]
Robbo, 43, is the first player to win two ranking tournaments without conceding a frame to his opponent across two sessions of a final.
He also hammered China’s Zhou Yuelong 9-0 in the final of the 2020 European Masters in Austria.
The pair meet again in Telford in the first round of the Players Championship tomorrow.
And Bingham – who has shed three stone due to weekly weight-loss injections – will be desperate for revenge across the baize.
Robertson, the world no.11, said: “Well, I am sure he will have vengeance in his veins.
“During the runners-up speech, he said he hoped he would play me at some point in Telford. And then, bang, straightaway it’s happened in the last 16.
“If I had been on the end of a big final defeat, I’d certainly have a lot of motivation. I don’t think he will be someone who is fearful.
“He’ll probably approach it in an underdog way and use in his favour the fact I’ll be the strong favourite for this match.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
“I’ll be well aware of that. Stuart is a great, great player. I wouldn’t expect it to be as one-sided as the last final – I hope it is, but I don’t think it will be.
“I’m always aware of a lot of records because I’m a bit of a snooker nerd.
“Whenever a record presents itself – whether that’s beating it, equalling it or doing it for the first time – I am one to try and get it done.”
The Hong Kong cueing glory on Sunday March 9 represented his 25th ranking tournament triumph.
In that context, nobody from outside the British Isles has done better.
Only Ronnie O’Sullivan (41), Stephen Hendry (36), John Higgins (32), Judd Trump (30), Steve Davis (28) and Mark Williams (26) have accumulated more trophies when there are ranking points involved.
It means the cabinet in his Cambridgeshire home is getting fuller by the month.
Robertson, a pro since 1998, revealed: “I do have a trophy room – it’s labelled the ‘man cave’ in my house. That’s what the sign says outside the door.
“My gaming PC was in there. Now it’s a boring office. I use it to print out stuff.
“I have a really nice trophy cabinet. When we go to China, we get a lot of really nice things to bring back. They give us a lot of gifts.
“So, I bring back things from my travels. It’s a nice thing to look back on. It reminds you of how long you have played the sport for.”
Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
