Neil Roberston Fails to Qualify for the 2024 World Snooker Championship

Australia’s number one snooker player Neil Robertson will not be among the 32 players at the 2024 World Snooker Championship in Sheffield after failing to qualify.

The Melbourne-born star lost five of the last six frames to slip to a hugely disappointing 10-9 defeat against Jamie Jones in the final qualifying round.

The 2010 world champion has struggled to produce his best form this season and missed out on an automatic spot at the Crucible Theatre after dropping to 24th in the world.

Robertson was the bookmakers’ odds-on favourite to progress to the tournament after a dominant 10-2 victory over Zak Surety in the previous round.

The best betting apps slashed their odds on the 42-year-old even further when he opened up an 8-5 lead over Jones, but he failed to get the job done.

Jones is now priced at 250/1 to win the title, while the Australian was left to reflect on missing out on the opportunity to improve his world ranking.

“Well, that hurts,” Robertson wrote on social media platform X. “Fair play to Jamie though from 8-5 up I barely had a chance - he played brilliant.

“Tough season all round and some time off needed for sure. Thanks everyone for the continued support. I’ll be back much stronger next season - I can guarantee that.”

Robertson looked in good nick as he recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win eight of the next 11 frames against Jones. His run included two centuries and six 50-plus breaks.

However, the Welshman dug deep to send the game to a final-frame decider, which he clinched with an excellent 60 break.

The result caps a miserable season for Robertson, who is struggling to reproduce the form he showed when climbing to the top of the world rankings.

He showed signs of a resurgence at the recent World Open in China, rattling off four impressive victories to set-up a semi-final showdown with Ding Junhui.

Robertson led 5-4 against the world number seven, but missed several opportunities to book his place in the final in Yushan, China.

A break of 128 moved the Australian just one away from victory and he looked on course to win the game before missing a simple red, allowing Junhui to level.

Robertson established a 56-point lead in the deciding frame, but his opponent refused to lie down and eventually claimed victory on the final pink.

The Australian will be eager to put a miserable season behind him and rediscover his consistency when the new campaign starts later this year.