Neil Robertson beats Wu Yize to win epic English Open final and net £100k prize

The victorious Neil Robertson says after his first title in over two years which lifts him back into the world's top 16: "It was nice to get in off a fluke. That was probably the only way I was actually going to pot a ball to get a chance.

"He completely froze me out. He played the best snooker I've ever seen in a five or six-frame spell. I hardly did anything wrong at all. He played some inspired stuff.

"Luckily I've experienced that before in the past in finals where I've had a big lead and I haven't done much wrong to lose a five or six frames in a row. I had to just remember those moments, that I came back from those as well.

"When I got the chance, the balls were nice and thankfully I was able to get it done. It wasn't looking good at one stage! You start thinking about potentially of runners-up speeches and how humble you're going to have to be after being 8-2 in front.

"This means everything. My dad's here and he's never even see me play in a final before and I've been a pro for 20 years. He's never been in the country when I've been doing well.

"This is the first title I can win in front of him. I've won over 30 tournaments but this is the first I've won with him here and that means the world to me. And my kids and Mille are here as well.

"Also this is the first tournament Joe [Perry] and I have won together since we've been working together. It's a lot of firsts and hopefully there'll be many more."

Wu Yize says through his translator: "I think for the second half of the match I was pretty much into it and I was under no pressure so felt really good. But it was a little bit too late.

"This was my first final so I felt a bit of pressure in the afternoon session.

"I wasn't setting up myself any kind of goal coming into this match but I got my revenge over Judd Trump in the last 16. Playing in the final is so great and such a great scenario.

"There's no regrets from me!"

It looks to all be going Wu's way as he gets another fluke, this time on the black as it hits the jaws of one cushion only to travel all the way up the table and drop into another.

What must Robertson be thinking?

Well he's quickly back on table the former world No.1 after Wu misses a red. Both playersthen  get stuck in a tense passage of play.

With the reds so split up, they know the first person to make one drop is in a great position to win this frame.

Each man plays multiple safety shots until Robertson flukes a long red with a cannon.

"I've got one!" he shouts to the crowd, who laugh it up.

He builds a break of 55 to lead 60-7 until he misses a long red - that means Wu will need a snooker.

The 20-year-old tries his best but he can't trap his opponent into a foul with Robertson making a long red go.

Wu concedes at 61-16 and that is that.

Neil Robertson wins the 2024 English Open!

Neil Robertson will be getting nervous - it's five on the spin now for Wu Yize.

The Chinese youngster is just one behind having trailed 8-2 earlier today.

He wins this frame 70-1 after a very fortunate fluke early into the frame. 

Wu is really putting the pressure on Robertson now.

He takes his fourth successive frame with the former world champion sat in his seat for much of it.

You wonder what he's thinking about in that corner.

He misses on the black for a century break, ending with a break of 95, but makes it 8-6 and all of a sudden it's all to play for in Brentwood.

He can't, can he?

Wu Yize has closed the gap to three frames, keeping his momentum after the mid-session interval.

The 20-year-old is on fire right now, with a break of 73 before he misses on a red.

Robertson steps up to the table and builds a break of 33 before missing a green to bring an end to the frame.

Some valuable table time for the Aussie there though.

It was looking all very comfortable for Neil Robertson but Wu Yize is reducing the arrears here.

He's pulled it back to 8-4 as he goes in search of what would be an incredible comeback.

He takes one frame 135-0 with his second century of this final and the other 82-0.

Robertson only needs to win one frame, so Wu needs to be perfect to pull it off...

Neil Robertson is now just one frame away from becoming the new English Open champion.

A messy table with little value in each pot paved the way for a longer contest, with both players snookered.

Wu Yize fouled on three occasions trying to get out of a Robertson trap, before the Aussie sank a tough red to free up a couple of colours - setting him on his way to a frame-winning 42 break.

He couldn't, could he? The first frame of the evening session has gone the way of Wu Yize.

The Chinese potter has matched his tally from this afternoon already with a superb clearance of 127.

It got started with a wonderful long pot and Wu kept his composure to make the ideal start to this contest. The same standards will need to be kept to ignite any hope of a comeback.

Fortunately we do not have to wait much longer for Neil Robertson to attempt to wrap up this final, as he and Wu Yize will restart play for the second session at 7pm.

In the final frame before the break, Neil Robertson closed out in style with a commanding 7-1 lead over Wu Yize.

He nailed a second century in two frames, this time bagging 138 after attempting a maximum.

Wu now faces the biggest of challenges to get back into this contest, with Robertson looking imperious at the table.

Neil Robertson is starting to run away with this final now, the Aussie is strutting his stuff and continues to make a strong comeback from a difficult season.

This time he rattles in the first century of the contest, with 104, after Wu Yize missed another easy pot to the middle.

Robertson is now just three frames away from his first ranking title in over two years.

Neil Roberston is really taking control of this final now.

He moves into a 5-1 lead.

Wu needed two snookers in this frame while trailing by 30 but despite getting one, he couldn't find the second.

Instead, he accidentally pots the while and Robertson wins the frame.

Wu Yize gets on the scoreboard as he snatches the fifth frame on the final black.

A scrappy affair saw both players spurn opportunities to build a big break, with Neil Robertson especially appearing set to win five in a row.

The Aussie took care of a tough green only to miss an easy brown. Both players could not pot that pesky brown, as the Chinese star finally tucked it away.

With pink and black needed for victory, tension rose when Wu asked the referee to clean the cue ball, only for him to rattle the pair in for his first frame win.

A dominant display by Neil Robertson has seen the Aussie take all four frames before the mid-session interval.

In win number four, Robertson somehow failed to split the pack early on and offered Wu Yize a chance with a poor safety attempt.

He missed an easy pot to the middle and Robertson, with 47 already in the bank, added another 16 before Wu required snookers.

In the longest frame so far, Wu was left a long red which he dispatched, but couldn't get the required snooker and has slumped to a four-frame deficit.

It has been a barnstorming start for Neil Robertson, who has won the first three frames of the English Open final.

This time he goes a step further, knocking in a stellar 77 break, after Wu Yize had made 49 before rattling the middle jaw when building his own tally.

Two breaks of 75 in each frame have been enough for Neil Robertson to open with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Wu Yize had a chance to draw level but when attempting to open the back, fouled by knocking the white in, bringing his Aussie opponent back to the table with a golden opportunity to double his lead.

That was duly taken.

The Thunder from Down Under has struck first with a quickfire 75 break to take the very first frame.

Neil Robertson has laid down a marker that he wants to take this final with gusto.

A long yellow was the clincher after splitting the pack, the remainder of the frame was a formality.

Neil Robertson and Wu Yize have met on three occasions previously, the most notable coming at the 2023 World Snooker Championship - where the Aussie won 10-3.

After Wu was promoted to the circuit in 2021, he has taken one win off Robertson in their three combined meetings.

Aside from English Open glory, there is a whopping £100,000 cash prize for tonight's champion.

Aside from the money, Neil Robertson is aiming for his first ranking title since April 2022. Wu Yize is yet to take such an accolade in his young career.

Neil Robertson and Wu Yize are emerging in Brentwood for the first session of the taking, starting at 1pm.

They will return at 7pm to play the conclusion of their best-of-17 format.

Hello everyone and welcome to Express Sport's live coverage of the English Open final, where Neil Robertson will take on Wu Yize over two sessions today.