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Neil Robertson will face Matthew Stevens in the final of the Bahrain Championship after the Australian came from behind to beat Mark Allen 6-4.

Robertson began slowly but won four frames on the trot to gain the advantage. Allen hit back to make it 4-3 but saw his opponent take the next to move on the verge of the win - and, after another frame won by Allen, close it out.

Allen came out of the blocks the faster of the two players, a 78 break seeing him take the lead before a century run of 112 put him two frames ahead.

He looked to be set for another big visit in frame three but the reds did not split kindly and Robertson had a lifeline, recording a 68 break to reduce the deficit.

Despite missing a red to the bottom left on 19 the 'Melbourne Machine' was lucky as the white fell safe; on his next visit he compiled 86 points to leave Allen in no doubt as to who was the man in form.

After the mid-session interval Robertson went ahead for the first time despite an early miss as Allen failed to recover his frame-building touch. The Northern Irishman, playing on the televised table for the first time this week, was perhaps suffering from the pressure of playing in the last four.

A 59 break was enough to extend Robertson's lead. Allen then missed again in the seventh frame, but was given another chance at the critical moment; this time he cleared - including a stunning long pink to the bottom left pocket - to snatch a 60-57 win.

Robertson however was not swayed and recorded an exact break of 100 to move within a frame of the match.

The next was another close encounter which ended in Allen's favour, the score 63-46 after a 50 break, to keep him in the hunt; however runs of 45 and 33 without reply in the final frame put paid to any hopes of a comeback.

Earlier Stevens beat seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry 6-4.

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Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport