Defending champion Neil Robertson has crashed out of the World Grand Prix in the first round after a shock 4-2 defeat to Robert Milkins at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
The Australian was one of the favourites to lift the trophy again after winning the UK Championship earlier this month and taking last week off from the Scottish Open to prepare for his defence of the Grand Prix.
He was the runaway favourite to beat Milkins in the last 32, especially after looking excellent in the first frame, but then he missed frame ball and his break ended on 67.
The world number 43 stepped in to clear up with a break of 70 and show that he wasn’t there to be pushed around by the world number two.
The Milkman then made 116 to take the second frame and really put the cat amongst the pigeons.
Robertson appeared to have got a grasp on the game when he won the next two frames with breaks of 52 and 87 to level things up, but that’s as good as it got for the former world champion.
Milkins made a break of 84 to retake the lead and then got over the line in the sixth to set up a last 16 clash with either Shaun Murphy or Jack Lisowski.
‘Very impressive,’ seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry told ITV. ‘The start of the match, the first frame, set the tone for a match with a brilliant clearance.
‘From then on we knew he was a dangerous player for Neil.’
Milkins is something of a bogey player for Robertson having twice beaten him at the World Championship in 2013 and as recently in 2018.
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