Ambitious Robertson hoping practice pays off

The 2010 champion rattled in an opening break of 133 as he reeled off the three frames required to turn a 7-2 lead into a 10-2 victory over Welshman Jamie Jones in Sheffield.

Robertson has committed more hours to the game than ever before and he believes it will help him finally fulfil his potential and become a multiple winner of the sport’s major crowns.

“I have put in more hours for this tournament than any other in my whole career,” the 33-year-old Australian said.

“Before I played my first-round match I potted 300 balls without missing – that’s the stuff (Stephen) Hendry used to do.

“Hendry used to not miss for six or seven frames, and that’s what you have to do if you want to dominate matches.

“If you were to stop my career and look back, I would definitely have a feeling of ‘what if I had practised more?’. I think I could do more so I’ve left no stone unturned coming into this tournament. It would be harsh to say I have under-achieved, but I think I could have won a lot more if I’d sacrificed a little bit more.”

Barry Hawkins found himself the reluctant star of another Crucible epic after clinging on to beat qualifier Matthew Selt in a final-frame decider.

The 2013 finalist looked set to ease through to the last 16 after resuming yesterday with a 7-2 overnight lead which he extended to 9-4 to move within one frame of victory.

But Selt responded by reeling off five frames in a row – including back-to-back centuries – before a cool clearance from Hawkins saw him into the second round with a 10-9 win.

Sheffield-based Ding Junhui’s dismal record at the Crucible looked set to continue as he lost the first four frames of his first-round match against veteran Mark Davis.

The world No 3 looked distinctly out of sorts in the early stages, but clawed his way back to reduce the deficit to 4-3 ahead of today’s resumption.