Snooker: Haotian, 14, beaten by Robertson
Neil Robertson will tackle his fellow former world champion Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals of the International Championship in Chengdu after beating a 14-year-old Chinese player.
The Australian left-hander put a halt to Lu Haotian’s run, recovering from 2-1 behind to win through 6-2 against the player who knocked out Dominic Dale in the second round.
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Hide Ad“It was strange playing someone so young,” said 30-year-old Robertson, Crucible champion in 2010. “It made me feel really old.
“I had to use all of my experience, especially in the close frames. I won two on the black otherwise it could have been different. Lu has got a tremendous future.”
Murphy, world champion in 2005, was 3-1 behind against Marco Fu, but won through 6-4 with a best break of 129.
Judd Trump booked his place in the other semi-final against Peter Ebdon by edging out Mark Allen in a thrilling 6-5 victory.
Trump, who has not won a ranking title since York last December, was on the brink of victory at 5-3.
However, Allen hit back to level at 5-5, forcing the world No 2 to compose himself and see out the final frame.
Ebdon, in contrast, had a far more straightforward passage into the last four with a 6-0 win over Ricky Walden.