Neil Robertson admitted hundreds of fans were begging him to let first-round opponent Michael Georgiou win a frame in the World Championship hammering at the Crucible.
The Australian was in striking distance of becoming just the second man to bag a 10-0 whitewash in Sheffield, leading 9-0 after the first of the two sessions.
But supporters were feeling the sympathy for tournament debutant Georgiou, who became the first Cypriot player to ply his trade at the Crucible following three tough rounds of qualifying.
He eventually got on the scoreboard in the first frame of the second session but that was as good as it got, Robertson closing out a 10-1 win to take his place in the second round.
That sets up a contest with Shaun Murphy – who did bank his own historic whitewash – in a battle between two former world champions.
“After the first session, it took me about 45 minutes to get to the top of the road after the selfies and the autographs and I had about 400 people tell me to let him win a frame,” said 37-year-old Robertson.
The Thunder from Down Under @nr147 is through!
— World Snooker (@WorldSnooker) April 21, 2019
He wraps up an emphatic 10-1 victory against debutant Michael Georgiou.
He faces the winner of Murphy and Honghao in the next round #ilovesnooker @Betfred pic.twitter.com/VfnOsRitoS
“I like Michael a lot, he’s a really nice guy – the killer instinct told me it would be so nice to win it 10-0.
“But at the same time, I want Michael to have something to take away from the experience as you’re never guaranteed to get back here again.
“He made a really good break which got him on the board and the most important thing for me was to finish it off nice and early to get back home, have a few days practicing before coming back,
“It’s important to win the matches or the sessions as quickly as possible to give yourself enough time between each game for rest.”
- Watch the World Championship LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds
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