Snooker: World championship re-match gets Glasgow event underway

Neil Robertson will play in a ranking event on British soil for the first time since becoming Betfred.com World Snooker Champion today - and he does so against Crucible final opponent Graeme Dott.

Robertson beat Scotland's Dott 18-13 in Sheffield last May to become the first Australian to win the sport's biggest title, and hopes to come out on top again when the two go head-to-head in the 12BET.com World Open at the SECC in Glasgow at 2.30pm this afternoon.

"The two world finalists going at it in the first round should be fun," said Robertson. "The matches are only best-of-five frames but there are a lot of ranking points at stake which puts the players under pressure, and that suits me fine. You have to make sure you are up for it from the first shot. There will be a lot of close matches, which is what people want to see."

Robertson has a superb record in Scotland, having won the Grand Prix in Aberdeen in 2006 and in Glasgow last year. "It's been a happy hunting ground for me and I love playing in Scotland," he said. "There always seem to be good crowds and a good atmophere. Last year I beat John Higgins in the semi-finals, 6-5 on the last black in an unbelievable match, which has to go down as one of my best-ever wins."

Also battling for the 100,000 top prize at the World Open will be the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Mark Selby and top Scots Stephen Hendry and Stephen Maguire.