Neil Robertson credits Channoi's attacking flair after Champion of Champions scare

Neil Robertson survived a scare from 18-year-old Panchaya Channoi, beating the Thai teenager 4-2 at the Champion of Champions in Leicester before praising the aggression and composure that nearly forced a deciding frame.

Channoi, known as Mind, had arrived at the invitational event having pulled off a shock run to the World Women's Championship title this year, beating former champions Bai Yulu, Mink Nutcharut and Reanne Evans en route, a result that secured her a place on the professional tour, according to Metro Snooker.

She had yet to win a match on the main tour before facing Robertson, and some bookmakers had the Australian as short as 1/100 to win, Metro Snooker reported.

Channoi took the opening frame and, trailing 3-2, built a 51-point lead in the sixth that threatened to send the match into a decider before Robertson closed it out with a break of 80.

Robertson told ITV that Channoi's intent was clear from the first frame, when she played what he called a fantastic long green, and suggested that plenty of established men's players would have opted for a safer shot in that position. He said her shot selection was aggressive without tipping into carelessness.

Reflecting on the closing stages, Robertson said he didn't think he did that much wrong, noting he missed a black when it looked like the match was heading his way at 4-1, but that after that he thought she played absolutely fantastic.

He suggested the margins were tight, saying it was probably looking like 3-3 had Channoi found a better split in the pack during the closing exchanges.

On the break that sealed victory, Robertson described it as a brilliant break under the circumstances, saying Channoi had looked so good and so composed that it didn't seem she would make a mistake through pressure. That, he felt, gave him his window to finish the contest.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, working as a pundit on the broadcast, was similarly impressed, saying he was so happy she got to show the audience at home and in Leicester what she can do.

Hendry praised her long-potting as fabulous and said that, bar one or two inexperienced shots, he thought she was brilliant, adding he was pleased she had shown off the talent she possesses.

He also highlighted her refusal to play safe, saying she went for her shots rather than going into her shell, calling her approach very aggressive and some of her play brilliant.

Robertson's run to the last four continued a tournament in which his place in the field was itself a stroke of fortune. According to SnookerHQ, the Australian, a past Champion of Champions winner in 2015 and 2019, filled the final berth drawn into the 16-man field in Leicester, having benefited from what he described as the luck I had to qualify.

Having negotiated the group stage and then a tense last-eight meeting with Channoi, Robertson moves on to the semi-final stage of the Champion of Champions in Leicester, with the Thai teenager's performance likely to be remembered as one of the week's standout stories regardless of the scoreline.