Australian snooker player Neil Robertson during round one of the 2016 Dafabet Snooker Masters at the Alexandra Palace in London. (Photo : Getty Images)
World no. 3 Neil Robertson of Australia trounced a flu-infested Marco Fu of Hong Kong, 6-0, in the first round of the 2016 Dafabet Snooker Masters on Tuesday at the Alexandra Palace in London.
The reigning Betway UK Championships winner did not waste any time dispatching Fu in their matchup as the world no. 14 and Happy Valley native "almost withdrew from the match" because of a virus, as reported by Eurosport.
Robertson pulled off 41, 106, 57, 73, 54, and 48 breaks in six consecutive frames to mercifully finish the duo's tournament opener as the 2007 Grand Prix winner could hardly invoke the energy to sustain and last the match.
Fu's defeat marked the end of the Chinese campaign in this year's Masters as China's Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo were eliminated by world champions Stuart Bingham and two-time Masters champion John Higgins respectively in their corresponding round one meetings, as per Cri English.
"I wasn't too sure what to make of Marco at the start of the match," said Robertson after the match. "Then someone told me at the interval that he wasn't feeling the best and I was much more accepting of how he was struggling out there."
"I just had to go about my business and try the best I could even though I knew my opponent wasn't 100 percent. It's a shame for Marco but obviously I'll have much tougher challenges ahead," he added.
Robertson will next face England's young 26-year-old star Judd Trump, who placed second to Higgins in the 2011 World Snooker Championships, in the quarterfinals.
World no. 6 Trump beat Scotland's Stephen Maguire, 6-4, in his own first round affair to advance in the quarters.
