The nail-biting 9-8 success over China’s Cao Yupeng from 8-4 down in the final gave Robertson his first ranking title victory since the 2016 Riga Masters.
Yupeng, who had only won 3 matches on the tour last season, has certainly played far better this season, since re-joining the tour, and wins over Ricky Walden and Judd Trump in the semi-finals would be testament to this.
Robertson, who has been struggling on the tour this season, which resulted in an early exit at last week’s UK Championship and cost him a place at next month’s prestigious Masters tournament in London, seem to be playing himself back into form in Scotland especially in the semi-finals where an outstanding start of 4-0 over John Higgins carried him to the final 6-3.
Yupeng, who earlier in the week hit a 147, started the final well and picking up on Robertson mistakes, picked his more experienced player off, to take a 5-3 lead at the break. This pattern continued into the evening to lead him needing just one more frame. The Cambridge based player, seem to up the tempo in his play which see him eventually claw his way back into the final.
At 8-7, Yupeng needing pink and black to win his first ever tour title, potted a long pink, after a bout of safety from both players, to land on the black. But cutting back into the pocket, the black caught the near jaw, wobbled and stayed in the lip.
Robertson, was relieved to sink the black and, like the Irish Open final between Williams and Bingtao, it went to a final frame decider. Yupeng who managed to get in first, couldn’t finish his opponent off and Robertson contributed a big enough score to win the title.
The season (aside from German Masters qualifying this week,) takes a break now and will resume in the new year with the invitational event – Masters at Alexandra Palace in London starting on January 14th, 2018.
