Neil Robertson has pulled out of the Gibraltar Open and is hence no longer in contention for the £150,000 up for grabs at the end of the European Series.
The tournament is the last of the European Series. It was touted to be a head-to-head showdown between Neil Robertson and Judd Trump, who are the frontrunners for claiming the bonus prize.
The European Series comprised four tournaments in German Masters, European Masters, the Snooker ShootOut, and the Gibraltar Open.
Neil Robertson came out tops in the European Master before coming up short in the German Masters and losing in the finals to his fiercest opponent, Judd Trump.
Since neither of the two participated in the Snooker ShootOut, Robertson sits atop the world number one with £35,000 at the top of the merit standings.
Robertson’s decision to stay out of the Gibraltar Open has given Trump a bit of an advantage to topple him over on the merit standings and claim the bonus open prize up for grabs.
To usurp Robertson on the list, Trump would have to win the Gibraltar Open and claim the £50,000 prize placed on the table for the winner of the tournament.
The tournament kicked off on Wednesday with the Amateurs fighting for a place with the bigs. Interestingly, Robertson isn’t the only high-profile player to have pulled out of the tournament. The likes of David Gilbert, Graeme Dott, Ali Carter, and Stephen Maguire will also be playing no part in the tournament.
The amateur fixtures were an intriguing set to see with some of the players running riot over their opponents, Taylor Allan was one of such individuals.
The 35-year-old walked past his English counterpart, posting a 3-0 scorecard in the process. From the very start, Allan was in charge of the proceedings and looked like he could go all the way. That he did as he completed a 3-0 whitewash over Danny Brindle.
Dylan Craig completed a 3-0 whitewash over his opponent, James Welch. As soon as Craig claimed the first frame, you get the feeling that he would stroll past his English opponent. Welch can now kiss his Gibraltar Open dreams goodbye, as is Craig, who’s getting the nod instead.
Written by: Roland Arum
