Neil Robertson's hopes of winning the China Open and reclaiming his place as the world No.1 snooker player after an 11-year wait have been ruthlessly ended by a fellow world champion.
The 44-year-old Australian's long-time rival Mark Selby proved in inspired form in their quarter-final clash in Taiyuan on Friday, winning their best-of-11 encounter 6-1 in brilliant fashion.
The four-time world champ Selby powered into the semis as he guns for a fourth China Open crown, thanks to a vintage display that featured two century breaks.
Mark Selby gives the lowdown on his new cue, that is doing SO much damage in Taiyuan!
— WST (@WeAreWST) August 14, 2026
One for the snooker nerds! 😎#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/TSsGFiLceX
Robertson, blitzed over the first four frames, came roaring out of the mid-session interval to record the 500th century of the season with a total clearance of 122.
But it only brought the best out of the 'Jester from Leicester', who responded with a 137 break before sealing the victory with a 97 run which sets up a semi-final date for Selby with fellow Englishman Stuart Bingham, who defeated Chinese player Zhang Anda 6-3.
Robertson had been hoping to continue his recent excellent form by going on to win the Chinese event, which would have guaranteed he'll return to the top spot.
Instead, the race for that No.1 honour will now be settled at China's Wuhan Open, with Zhao Xintong just ahead of Robertson in the rankings and Wu Yize, current top dog Judd Trump and possibly Selby, should he win the title this week, also in the hunt.
Selby is flying with a new cue this season, having got rid of the one that he'd used for two decades while winning four global titles. He would be the first player to win the China Open four times, ahead of triple champ Mark Williams.
"I felt I played more or less faultless snooker," said Selby. "I played great, I was confident and hit the ball well, and scored very well. If I play like that I am a match for anyone."
Noppon Saengkham, who defeated world finalist Shaun Murphy 6-4, and Zhou Yuelong, 6-5 victor over David Gilbert, will meet in the other semi-final.
