Australian snooker star Neil Robertson's hopes of winning his home tournament for the first time have ended prematurely, the former world champion dumped out in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open.
A marathon 55-minute deciding frame relegated Robertson to a 5-4 loss at the hands of England's Matthew Selt on Tuesday night, and shut down the Victorian's bid to better his consecutive two-year runner-up record.
Selt raced to a 4-0 lead on the back of top breaks of 83 and 63.
Robertson surged back to 4-4, winning the eighth frame on the last black to raise the Bendigo crowd's hopes of a successful fightback.
But he ultimately failed to make it past the last 32 stage.
Selt now faces qualifier Mark Joyce, who scored a surprise 5-2 win over Mark Allen.
Englishman Robert Milkins ended the challenge of Australian wildcard Adrian Ridley with a 5-1 victory.
"It was a fantastic experience for me, I just struggled a bit with the nerves," said Ridley, who hails from Victoria's Yarrawonga.
"I'll learn a lot from it and hopefully come back stronger next year."
Meanwhile, world No.1 Mark Selby enjoyed a comfortable 5-1 triumph at the expense of Mark King, highlighted by a superb 141 total clearance in the fourth frame.
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