Neil Robertson’s 17-year trophy-winning streak comes to an end with an early exit from the UK Championship.
Neil Robertson’s run of winning a title every year since 2006 has ended with a defeat to Zhou Yuelong in his opening match at the UK Championship. Zhou played brilliantly, knocking in breaks of 136, 134, 99, 80, 74, 67, and 50 in a dominant 6-2 victory. This is a great win for the Chinese star, but a painful one for the Australian, who sees his stunning run of trophies come to an end.
Robertson, who has won a professional tournament every year since 2006, will not claim a title in 2023 due to not competing in the final events of the year, the Shoot Out and Scottish Open. He has decided to return to Australia for family reasons, ending his run with a defeat to Zhou, who secured a spot in the last 16 against John Higgins.
Zhou, who won every frame in one visit, admitted to missing two shots and never beaten Neil in a ranking event. He expressed his love for the venue and his idol, John Higgins, who he admires from his early tournaments, including Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry, and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
