I never thought this day would happen, says European Masters champ

The Bexhill-based talent was crowned European Masters champion following a splendid 9-6 victory over Joe Perry in the final.

Speaking to World Snooker afterwards, Robertson said: “It’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid and first started playing. I never thought this day would happen and the way that my career’s gone so far, I’ve never been to the later stages of a tournament.

See also: * Bexhill star wins European Masters title* Bexhill ace leads European Masters final* Bexhill ace through to European Masters final* Bexhill star reaches European Masters semi-finals“I always knew that I was capable of doing that, but obviously doing it is a completely different story. To play some decent stuff in the final is so pleasing and I’m so delighted with the win.”

Robertson, who runs O’Sullivan’s Snooker & Pool Club in Bexhill with his family, had never previously gone beyond the quarter-finals of a full ranking event.

“Winning your first title is just massive,” he continued. “You never know whether you’re going to get over the line, you don’t know how you’re going to handle it, you don’t even know if you’re going to be in a final. To win my first title and have my family here means everything.”

Ranked 36th coming into the event, Robertson hopes this victory will be the springboard for him to feature in the latter stages more regularly.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” he added. “With a tournament win, hopefully it will give me plenty of confidence for the future tournaments and hopefully I can produce some good stuff.”

Robertson stormed into a 5-0 lead in the final and although pegged back to 5-3 by the end of the first session, he won the first two frames of the second session to go 7-3 up.

Perry then amassed 367 points without reply in winning the next three frames, aided by two century breaks, but Robertson clinched the two after that to seal victory, finishing things off with a century of his own.

“I’ve been working on things at home and I’ve got a head coach now,” he said. “I’ve been working with Martin Perry for a season-and-a-half and he’s helping me relax a lot more than I have done in the previous years as a pro.

“I was delighted how I held myself together. Joe obviously played really well in the evening session - I think he made a couple of centuries - and (I’m) just delighted from 7-6 to produce some good snooker.”

The victory also earned Robertson a place in the prestigious Champion of Champions tournament in Coventry next month.