Neil Robertson has opened up about his "incredibly special" relationship with Ronnie O'Sullivan, after he pipped him to the Saudi Arabia Masters title at the weekend. The Australian ace had to utilise every inch of his ability to best the 'Rocket' in an incredibly tense final, which ended 10-9 in Robertson's favour.

While the two have shared some heated battles on the baize over the years, Robertson has opened up about a friendship with one of snooker's greatest stars away from the table. Speaking about O'Sullivan, the 43-year-old said: "He calls me pretty frequently. He wants to see me win more world titles and more tournaments; he really wants to see me do well.

"To have that kind of relationship with him is incredibly special. He’s one of the inspirations for me. Growing up as a kid there’s no way I would have thought as a 14 or 15 year old that I’ll be competing against Ronnie in major finals or I’ll be where I am today 30 years later."

Speaking about the incredible final he shared with O'Sullivan on Saturday, Robertson also admitted that he had to bring his A-game to reign victorious, given the threat that the 49-year-old consistently brings to the table. He added: "It’s got to go down as one of the greatest finals of all time.

"To be a part of that and to be on the right side of it as well. I also believe if he’s playing anyone else in the world then he probably wins today. I think from 7-2 to 7-7. I’m not too sure…maybe Judd [Trump] or Kyren [Wilson] could possibly withstand that.

"To be able to withstand the pressure and to be the first person who stood up to him this week when he’s come back like an absolute freight train, that’s more pleasing than if I went on to win the match 10-4 or 10-5. To win it in this way from 9-8 down and the two breaks I made the last two frames, just amazing."

It was a tense state of affairs in Jeddah as Robertson built a 7-2 lead only to find himself 9-8 down thanks to a late resurgence from O'Sullivan. The Thunder from Down-Under was then able to edge out O'Sullivan with a 10-9 win to scoop a £500,000 top prize and soar to third in the world rankings, now within reach of Trump and Wilson.

While Robertson took home the same sum that Zhao Xintong received for winning the World Snooker Championship earlier this year, O'Sullivan still pocketed a respectable £200,000 payday of his own as a runner-up. He will now turn his attention to his British Open qualification clash with Lam Sanderson on Friday evening.