Neil Robertson’s Battle for World Snooker Rediscovering Form and Rivalry with Ding Junhui

In the 2024 World Snooker Championship qualifiers, Neil Robertson found himself trailing Jamie Jones after the first session, with a score of 5-4 in Sheffield. This was a significant moment for Robertson, as he was forced to enter the nine-day qualification stage for the first time since 2006. This was due to his drop out of the world’s top 16 in late March, following a defeat to Ding Junhui in China.

Robertson’s nerves continued to show as he fell two frames behind Jones in the afternoon session. However, he managed to rally and tie the score at 2-2, highlighted by a break of 103 in the leveling frame, marking his 100th century at the World Championships. Jones responded with an impressive break of 135 to reclaim the lead, but Robertson fought back with breaks of 70 and 104 in consecutive frames to take the lead. The match remained tight as Jones once again leveled the score, with the final frame of the session ending with Robertson behind.

If Robertson advances to the Crucible, he will be seeking to win the title for the first time since 2010, with his best performances in recent years being one semi-final and five quarter-final appearances. Meanwhile, at