Davis a repeat champion in Bangkok
Mark Davis is becoming a 6-red legend in his own right. The way the Englishman trounced reigning world No 1 Neil Robertson 8-4 in the Bt6 million SangSom 6-red World Championship title showdown on Saturday night was an impressive feat by all counts.
It is the second time in a row that Davis has collected the world trophy along with the winner’s purse of Bt2 million at the Montien Riverside Hotel. Robertson was rewarded with a pay cheque of Bt800,000 for his effort.
No other player has won the tournament twice so far. Davis had beaten former world professional champion and current No 4 Shaun Murphy by the same scoreline in the final last year.
A beaming Davis said after his victory, “Robertson played really well and went 3- 1 up. I just had a couple of chances and made most of them. There was no real pressure on me going into the match and that probably also made the difference.
“I did well but got a bit nervous in the last frame, then got the chance I had been looking for. It was my safety that really worked well today and I am happy to have the claimed the title again here in Bangkok.
“I know that I am out of the Top 16 now in the 15-red format, but I am not worried as it is only the beginning of the season. I am enjoying my snooker and that is the most important thing.”
The venue was flooded with snooker fans, presenting a great blend of locals and expatriates, who were a bit more sympathetic towards Robertson.
For Davis, the scenario wasn’t much different from last year and the final ran its course almost in a familiar manner.
This time it was Robertson who come out of his corner blazing all guns and it was only a matter of time that he took a 3-1 lead. However, Davis went to work with his safety tactics and the Australian giant was shackled.
Davis staged a recovery that did not seem to be on the cards at all, and a brilliant mix of sure-shot potting and immaculate safety turned the tide in his favour.
Robertson first saw his lead being washed away and then Davis sail to the safer ground with a 7-3 advantage. The Australian had his say in the 11th frame, but quickly ran out of luck.
With Davis showing nerves despite holding an upper hand in the 12th, Robertson tried his best to write off the deficit through snookers but eventually gave his opponent an opening that brought the curtain down on his campaign.
A total of 48 players from around the world, including 12 professionals ranked among the top 16, participated in the championship, which was sanctioned by World Snooker.
Final result: Mark Davis beat Neil Robertson 8-4 (0-75, 37-3, 1-42, 6-74, 66-0,
37-21, 58-1, 39-7, 43-0, 78-0, 0-77, 63-15).
