Snooker results: Mark Allen and Zhou Yuelong through to the final in Belfast

Allen sealed victory by taking a black-ball frame but the match itself was nothing like as close, the home favourite having taken command early and never let go.

Back-to-back centuries in frames four and five saw Allen pull into a 4-1 lead as a below-par Robertson failed to find his stride, breaks of 56 and 68 his only meaningful contributions.

The Aussie fought hard to the death but left Allen a half chance in frame eight and it was all he needed to seal his place in Sunday's final.

"I really enjoyed it," he said. "I didn't feel like I played my best stuff, but I did good things at the right time. I scrapped my way to being 2-1 in front, and then found a bit of form, made two centuries for 4-1.

"When Neil was starting to come back at me, it looked like it was going to go 4-3, I made a really good 60 when the balls were awkward to go 5-2. And then from 5-2, you just have to play sensible snooker, not miss anything easy, and you know you're going to get a chance to get over the line.

"To do it on a re-spot in front of these crazy fans here in Belfast, it was really nice.

"I'd say it'll be noisier again tomorrow, but I love that. That's what you live for, to play the game for, to play in these big arenas in front of packed houses. It'll be an occasion to remember."

Zhou turns on the style

Zhou Yuelong beat Anthony McGill 6-4 in a high-class match to reach the final of the Northern Ireland Open.

The bottom half of the draw had opened up in Belfast and many assume it will produced the runner-up, but these two produced snooker of the highest quality on Saturday afternoon.

At 4-4, both having led at some stage, it was Zhou who produced back-to-back centuries to reach his third ranking final, where Mark Allen will lie in wait.

He'd earlier compiled a pair of centuries to lead 3-2 but breaks of 73 and 101 saw McGill lead for the very first time, before the Scot was pegged back.

Zhou then bagged a 127 break to move within a frame of the final and supplemented it with a run of 110, a day after he'd fought back from 4-2 down to beat David Gilbert 5-4.

"I think we both played well in the match, but in some frames we did both miss chances," said world number 23 Zhou. "We both lost some concentration, but in the last two frames I played really well.

"Many times I’ve dreamed of winning a title, but I know how tough it is. When you are close to a trophy, you think about it. From the first time you pick up a cue and every time you walk into an academy and play on the table, you dream to win a trophy. It is hard for me, but I want to try and relax and not care whether I win or lose. I just want to enjoy the final.

"If I win, I will be happy to have made my dream come true. If I don’t win then alright, I will win next time. It is important to not get under pressure, this is no good. You have to not think about the trophy and just play."