Chinese snooker hope Yan Bingtao came from behind to beat world No 2 Neil Robertson at the Masters in Milton Keynes, England, sealing the final frame to win 6-5 and eclipsing Ding Junhui in winning on his tournament debut. “I am quite surprised that on my debut Masters appearance, I have also beaten Neil Robertson, who has just won the UK Championship. I am very happy with the result and also playing so well in the decider,” Yan told the World Snooker Tour website after his win. Robertson had high praise for the 20-year-old, who rallied from behind on more than one occasion before winning with some expert safety. “Yan did really well, especially in that last frame,” the Australian said afterwards. “It was like playing Steve Davis in his prime, tactically he was very good. He is fully capable of winning these events.” Yan Bingtao has beaten Neil Robertson The @Betfred Masters debutant is into the quarter finals with a 6-5 win! #ilovesnooker pic.twitter.com/XR7O3BBjU1 — World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) January 12, 2021 Yan, appearing in his first Masters, was 3-1 down to the winner of last month’s UK Championship and on the verge of it being 4-1 before Robertson missed a black. The world No 11 rallied to make it 3-2, but the Australian came back to lead 5-3 and leave Yan looking at the exit in his first Masters appearance. When will Chinese snooker players be in the frame for biggest prizes? Yan then won the next two frames to take it to a decider, where he kept his nerve and showed off his safety play. “I just go with the flow and do what I am supposed to do. That is what I did in the decider,” Yan said. “Neil is the sort of player that takes a chance if you give it to him. I just played as much safety as I could. It was quite funny that all the colours were on the cushion. I did my best to mess up the table. Yan is now one win away from matching his career-best major performance – reaching the 2019 UK Championship semi-finals. “I will do the best I can in the next round, but I have already gone beyond my expectations. I will try to relax and enjoy the match,” he said. Yan could meet Ding, who lost on his Masters debut in 2004, in the semi-finals. The Chinese snooker legend takes on seven-time Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan on Wednesday.