Ronnie O’Sullivan has won the Masters eight times but won’t feature at the tournament this year (Image: GETTY)
missed a crucial World Open qualifying match days before Christmas as he got his days mixed up. The 42-year-old is set to replace at the Masters after due to health reasons.
Robertson will get the Masters up and running on Sunday when he takes on .
Both players have won the title on two occasions and will be eyeing up more silverware at Alexandra Palace this month.
Robertson was due to take on Michael Holt in Sheffield on Saturday, December 21 for the chance to appear at the World Open in the Chinese city of Yushan, with the tournament coming with a prize pot of £175,000 for the winner.
But the Australian ace thought he was scheduled to play the following day and was 136 miles away from the venue when the match was due to get underway.
Explaining the situation to , Robertson said: “For the World Open qualifiers, I got my dates completely messed up with Christmas. I was a day out of sync.
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Neil Robertson has taken Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Masters place and will face John Higgins on Sunday (Image: GETTY)
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“It was not until Saturday night that Joe Perry sent me a message wishing me good luck for the qualifier. ‘Why has Joe done that? I’m playing tomorrow. I am playing Sunday, aren’t I?’
“I went on the World Snooker website and said, ‘Oh my God, I’m playing in like 27 minutes. I’m in Cambridge and the qualifier is in Sheffield.’
“I told officials: ‘I’m really sorry, I have got my dates completely messed up in my head.’
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“I sent Michael Holt a text message just minutes after he found out I wasn’t coming. I said, ‘Merry Christmas’ with a lot of funny emojis.
“I added: ‘Maybe it’s a sacrificial thing for the snooker Gods and they will repay me somehow.’ He said: ‘They always do for you.’ And here we are. Now all of a sudden I’m in the Masters. I think I owe him a nice case of wine.”
Robertson then stated: “It’s nice to start the calendar year involved in this one. John Higgins is one of the best that has ever played snooker. I have played Ronnie at the Masters and Mark Williams, but not John – so it will be a great occasion.
“I guess it’s a free hit. I haven’t had to worry about the build-up to the tournament. It’s pretty short notice but in some ways that can be a good thing. It’s about enjoying the experience.”