Neil Robertson has won the first ranking event of the season in the Riga masters beating Michael Holt 5-2.
Beginning positively, Holt took an early lead by 2-1 but Robertson took the next 4 frames to beat Holt by 5-2.
In the post match interview Robertson said “It’s an amazing feeling to win the first ranking event of the season. I have done it a couple of times before and it’s a good feeling because you can try to build on it for the remainder of the season. I wasn’t too sure what to expect coming here, but as it went on I played really well”.
“Michael is one of the most improved players on the circuit, he’s worked a lot with Terry Griffiths and you can see that in his game. He’s not afraid of the top players any more. The final was really hard work. I had to dig in deep and I potted some really good balls under pressure. I’m looking forward to the World Open in China next month and trying to claim another title.”
This takes Robertson’s tally to 12 ranking titles, which makes him the most successful non-British player of all time.
Starting of the season with a win is vitally important for gathering momentum coming into the next events.
Although Holt did not manage to win here, he is undoubtedly delighted with his performance here in Riga along with some great performances towards the end of last season including his wins over Robertson in the world championships and Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Grand Prix championship.
Another triumph in this years Riga masters was that of 50 year old amateur player Darren Morgan who is the first amateur player to reach a semi final since Rex Williams in 1986. Morgan was defeated in the semi finals by tournament winner Neil Robertson 5-0.
