Neil Robertson claims World Championship exit 'really unfair' but shows class

has dubbed his early exit from the as "unfair" following his defeat to Chris Wakelin on Sunday night. Robertson, a former Crucible winner, had performed a stunning comeback to level the tie at 7-7, having trailed 7-2 following the first session of the match.

Despite winning five frames on the bounce to draw level, Robertson won just one of the final four, with Wakelin scoring the desired three extra frames to reach the second round. It is more disappointment for the Aussie, who did not play at the Crucible whatsoever last year after failing to qualify. He has not reached round two for four years.

When quizzed on his performance, the Thunder from Down Under told BBC Sport: "It was a huge ask after yesterday, I thought yesterday was a pretty poor run of the ball. I didn't do a lot wrong, I only missed one ball I should've potted. So 7-2 was a really unfair reflection. But the way I played in the session, still gave me a lot of hope today.

"To win the first four, then the interval came and I didn't quite get that momentum going again. Still played some decent stuff, potted a really good black at eight each... I think if I had got to nine before him, I certainly would've won."

Robertson did have plenty of kind words for Wakelin, though, recalling an interaction he had with him from last season: "Fair play to Chris, potted some really good balls there. When I was struggling with my game last year, he was really positive, engaging in conversation with me, he always knew I'd come back. I've got nothing but praise for Chris and I wish him all the best."

It was a bitter pill for Robertson to take, given the 43-year-old had been in strong form heading into the World Championship and had been spoken about as a potential dark horse. Reacting to his early exit, former world champion John Parrott said on the BBC's coverage: "It's a sore one, because if he'd been beaten 10-3 or 10-4, after what happened yesterday, he'd have just shrugged his shoulders. The fact he's got himself right back to 7-7, makes that a real sore one to lose."

As for Wakelin, it's the first time he's progressed beyond the second round of the World Championship, with the 33-year-old delighted with his win. He said: "I've changed a lot over the last seven years, my mindset is so much stronger now. I just say to myself, 'Regardless of what's happening, I'm just ready for my next chance'... but as long as I'm ready, that's the best I can do for myself."

He added: "I started with a century, which set the tone and Neil did the same today. You're playing against one of the best players of all time, a 7-2 lead? That's no guarantee at all. I could lose the first four frames without doing much wrong and that's exactly what happened."

Wakelin will now face either Mark Allen or Fan Zhengyi in the second round, with the Northern Irishman 5-4 up after the opening session.