Neil Robertson wins Tuesday's group to reach semi-finals of the 2026 Champion of Champions snooker

The Australian defeated Panchaya Channoi and Jak Jones to win Tuesday's group at the Mattioli Arena and set up a last four meeting with Chris Wakelin on Friday evening. Scottish Open champion Wakelin was the opening day's victor.

Robertson was the 16th and final player to receive an invite for this year's £440,000 competition. The 44-year-old has not won a professional title since the Saudi Arabia Masters in August 2025, but after several players qualified more than once, there was one space left that went to the highest-ranked non-qualifier. That was him as the world number three.

In the opening match of the afternoon, Robertson denied reigning world women's champion Channoi, 4-2.

Making her debut in the event, 18-year-old Thai Channoi took a low-scoring first frame before Robertson made breaks of 58, 84 and 73 in moving 3-1 up.

However, Channoi ousted frame five on the final black, and built a lead in the sixth to threaten a deciding frame, but Robertson sank a brilliant red from distance and went on to compile a match-winning run of 80.

In the second tie of the afternoon, Jak Jones pipped Judd Trump, 4-3.

A six-time finalist in this tournament - lifting the trophy in 2021 - Trump made an 89 in frame one and then doubled his lead.

Jones went back-to-back himself to level at 2-2 - claiming the fourth after his opponent went in-off the final black - but Trump got over that disappointment by compiling a 75 to go one away from the target.

Trump was looking good to progress when in the balls in frame six, but he faltered, and Jones sent the contest the distance.

After potting the first red of the decider, Trump subsequently missed a routine black and was fully punished by Jones who fashioned a decisive contribution of 79.

Both winners from the afternoon session returned for the evening's programme where Jones secured the opening frame on the black and then went 2-0 up with an 80.

Robertson responded with runs of 61 and 62 to level up at 2-2 and then struck a 130 after the mid-session interval for the lead.

Championship League and British Open titles holder Jones went even higher with a 133 in the sixth to restore parity, but Robertson (59 break, frame seven) was the stronger cueist in the closing stages as he strung together the next three frames for a 6-3 success.

Winner of this crown in 2015 and 2019, Robertson is set to appear in the last four of the Champion of Champions for an eighth time.

It has been a relatively quiet start to the top-flight snooker season for Robertson, but he can generally be pleased with his performances in getting through to his first semi-final of the term. Overall, the action on Tuesday was more entertaining than a fairly low-key opening day.

On Wednesday it's the 'group of death' as record four-time Champion of Champions Ronnie O'Sullivan plays Shaun Murphy, and reigning world champion Wu Yize shares the baize with fellow debutant Chang Bingyu.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 Champion of Champions, visit our tournament information centre here.