Neil Robertson has gained the BetVictor Collection bonus after Luca Brecel suffered defeat within the semi-finals of the Welsh Open on Saturday.
Robertson will obtain the £150,000 jackpot prize for topping the rankings checklist primarily based off the 4 occasions on the Dwelling Nations collection.
The Australian triumphed on the English Open in September to high the standings with that £100,000 champion’s cheque from Brentwood.
Robertson didn’t function on the latter phases of any of the opposite three occasions, however he was nonetheless capable of nearly preserve his buffer to the chasing pack.
He reached the quarter-finals of the Northern Eire Open earlier than making back-to-back appearances within the final 32 of the Scottish and Welsh Opens.
The latest defeat to Tom Ford in Llandudno opened the door for others to make a last-gasp try to pinch the profitable sum.
Northern Eire Open champion Kyren Wilson was the best-placed contender, however the world quantity two exited proceedings in Wales a couple of hours after Robertson’s reverse in the identical spherical.
That left Brecel as an unlikely final challenger, the Belgian Bullet requiring the title and the £100,000 cheque in Wales to usurp Robertson’s tally.
Brecel was trying sturdy when he led Mark Selby 3-2 within the final 4 however duly misplaced the concluding 4 frames to bow out of the operating.
Selby faces Stephen Maguire within the Welsh Open remaining on Sunday, however neither participant can catch Robertson’s Dwelling Nations goal of £124,000.
For Robertson, it’ll be one other increase in confidence throughout a season during which he has reestablished himself as a high competitor.
The 43 year-old struggled badly for type throughout the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns, struggling a dramatic slide down the official world rankings because of this.
However victory on the English Open – his first in a rating occasion for greater than two years – helped regular the ship.
Robertson, who ought to function on this time period’s prestigious Tour Championship, will probably be on the lookout for a robust end to the season to firmly regain his spot among the many elite high 16 of the rankings.
The Melbourne man turns into the fourth completely different winner of the BetVictor Collection bonus.
Judd Trump has pocketed the reward a document 3 times, whereas John Higgins and Robert Milkins are different earlier winners.
Featured photograph credit score: WST
