Robertson backs Allen for title

Neil Robertson declared Mark Allen favourite for the Ladbroke Mobile Masters after the Northern Ireland potter ousted the world champion to reach the semi-finals.

Robertson came away from the 6-4 defeat feeling there was little he could have done differently, with Allen, who goes on to play Marco Fu in the last four, making five half-centuries to his opponent's four in a clash requiring three hours to complete.

The Australian said on www.eurosport.com: "I can't really fault my performance, and say I played badly. Mark played really well, and in my opinion he is now the favourite to win the tournament. It depends on how he plays in the role of favourite, because sometimes that can bring extra pressure."

Allen made a break of 63 and then prevailed in a high-quality safety battle to win the opening frame, and also stole the second from 42-0 down with a run of 69.

A wonderful break of 69 to the pink got the Australian on the board in an initially scruffy third frame, and a 56 in the fourth helped him level matters at the mid-session interval.

Robertson went 3-2 ahead with breaks of 47 and 50 in the first frame back before the sixth became bogged down in containing safety play, Allen eventually putting 46 on the board to level at 3-3.

The next followed a similar pattern as the match went through a lull, but a thumping long red set Robertson on his way in a frame-winning break of 71.

Allen made a 57 in the next and snookered the Australian, who also needed snookers himself. After failing to hit the final red, he conceded and the scores were level once again.

A composed 75 took Allen within one frame of the last four and, as the match time ticked beyond three hours, he took a 69-point lead in frame 10, which proved too much for Robertson to overhaul.

Fu booked his place in the semi-finals with a 6-0 whitewash of a woefully out-of-sorts Peter Ebdon.