Fu beats Robertson 9-6

Marco Fu, 35, clinched his second career ranking event title yesterday with a 9-6 victory over world number one Neil Robertson in the final of the Australian Goldfields Open in Bendigo.

A 98 break in the opening frame set the tone for the Hong Kong player, and, although Melbourne-born Robertson hit back with 78 and 92 to take the next two frames, Fu secured the next three to surge ahead for good and never looked back to take the $70,000 top prize.

Robertson threatened a late fightback when he reduced the deficit to 7-6 after Fu had established a three-frame cushion with a break of 70 in frame 11, but the 35-year-old held his nerve and won the two final frames he needed for victory in the best-of-17 encounter.

Robertson had been looking to fulfil one of his career ambitions by winning a tournament in his homeland, but fell just short and also missed out on becoming the first player to win back-to-back ranking titles in the same season since Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2003, having won last month’s Wuxi Classic.