UK Championship 2020: Neil Robertson beats Judd Trump to win title

Neil Robertson edged past world number one Judd Trump 10-9 to win his third UK Championship in what was an unforgettably epic late night final.

An electrifying contest of high breaks and impeccable cue ball control was expected, but it was a tactical fight.

They were locked at 4-4 after the first session, and there was no more than one frame between them throughout.

Robertson's 72 made it 9-9 and he won it after Trump missed a straightforward final pink in the hour-long decider.

The Australian collected the trophy and £200,000 in prize money at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, for the first UK Championship to take place without any spectators in attendance.

Fans watching at home will have expected two of this season's in-form players to put on a free-flowing spectacle but neither were anywhere near their pinnacle and ended up slugging it out into early Monday morning with the match finishing at 00:55 GMT.

Robertson told BBC Sport: "It was unbelievable. There was a lot of good stuff, and to use a quote Mark Williams used, it almost got so bad it was so good at one stage, because we were both trying so hard.

"We don't want frames to go that length. We like to win frames with big breaks in one visit.

"Maybe because I lost my last two finals I was trying too hard and brought Judd down a bit. But we are both gladiators out there, even without a crowd."

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Robertson gains revenge

Robertson, snooker's most successful overseas player, had been beaten in two finals this year, including the Champion of Champions, but gained revenge over Trump for beating him at the English Open in October.

That match went to a final-frame decider and this marathon of a contest went all the way too.

Robertson fell short in two previous drawn-out frames in the match, but took the one which mattered the most on the pink after the Englishman's inexplicable miss into the corner.

The world number three, who also won this title in 2013 and 2015, took his career total to 19 ranking title victories, drawing him level with Trump in joint-sixth place on the all-time list.

Robertson displayed his prowess by taking apart three-time world champion Mark Selby in the quarter-finals and showcased another break-building masterclass against Zhou Yuelong in the semis.

It was nip and tuck in the final, Robertson getting bogged down with muddled shot selections at times, but he kept himself together tremendously well in the closing stages.

He made three centuries to take his tally to 13 for the tournament, a new record at the UK Championship - beating the 12 compiled by Stephen Hendry in 1994 and Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2003.

Robertson added: "When Judd was 9-8 up, he made an unbelievable break and if the cannon goes any better it is match over - and I made one of the best clearances of my career.

"It was full of highlights, unbelievable misses and tension. Even without a crowd, I am sure everyone at home loved it."

Trump 'bottles it' as winning streak ended

Since the start of last season, Bristol's Trump has been a class apart, claiming a record six ranking titles last term and a further two from four finals this year.

The 2019 world champion has always been a proficient potter, as well as being armed with a first-class tactical game and exceptional temperament, but uncharacteristically he came up short in the latter stages.

Trump said: "It was an epic battle. It's tough to take and I bottled it really. I was under pressure and ended up messing up.

"I would never have missed from there normally but the whole length of the frame got to me, as well as the pressure, and I was trying too hard.

"It would have made for good viewing but it's devastating for me."

Defeat ended his 14-match winning streak, which stretched back to the semi-finals of the Champion of Champions on 7 November, and he must wait to become only the sixth player in history to win 20 or more ranking titles.

Trump was far from his destructive best for much of this tournament, including the final.

He is scheduled to return to action later on Monday evening in the Scottish Open, though he may request to start his campaign the following day.

'Those misses for titles leave scars' - analysis

Six-time world champion Steve Davis on BBC Two:

"It will be easier for Trump to forget that pink he missed because there's no crowd. It was a surreal match all day long to go with the surreal times we live in.

"It was a granite final frame. How exciting that snooker can keep generating these amazing moments."

1991 world champion John Parrott:

"It was on the cards to be a very hard-fought final because they are top-class players.

"It was epic, a very sore one for Judd with the pink he missed in the corner right at the end but a very good victory for Neil Robertson."

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry:

"That will hurt Judd Trump for a long time. Those misses for titles leave scars."

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