China Open snooker: Neil Robertson defied illness to beat Anthony Hamilton 5-4
Neil Robertson defied illness and a fine comeback from his opponent to beat Anthony Hamilton 5-4 in the China Open.
Last Updated: 31/03/14 11:05pm
The Australian was on the brink of victory at 4-2 ahead but let his gritty opponent back into it as he struggled with a virus.
The 2010 World Champion settled a scrappy affair with a clinching 57 in the decider, though, and immediately said on Twitter of his 5-4 success: "One of the greatest wins of my career. Possibly wouldn't have got on the plane had I known my virus was this bad."
Robertson will be joined in the next round by snooker shoot-out champion Dominic Dale - a 5-3 victor over Jack Lisowski - and another former world winner in Graeme Dott, who saw off Rory McLeod in a clash that went all the way.
James Wattana rolled back the years as he whitewashed Mark Joyce 5-0, while Jimmy White also recalled days gone by with a 5-2 success over David Morris.
Yu De Lu - who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in Preston last week - was back on the winning trail to see off Chen Zifan 5-2, with victories coming elsewhere on a busy day for Nigel Bond, Zhao Xintong, Luca Brecel and Thepchaiya Uh-Nooh.
Xiao Guodong gave home fans plenty to cheer about as he cracked in a tournament-high 142 in his win over Hammad Miah, while there were also triumphs for the likes of James O'Neill, Mark King, Dechawat Poomjaeng, Mike Dunn and John Astley.
