World Grand Prix star David Gilbert was forced to defend himself against a wasp attack during his last-16 showdown with Neil Robertson on Thursday. The Englishman found himself on the ropes against the 2010 world champion and went on to lose the match 4-1 as he was dumped out of the tournament.

Robertson got the upper hand during the early stages of the best-of-seven encounter as he won the first two frames. Gilbert halved his deficit by clinching the third, with the Australian star then restoring his two-frame advantage in the following frame as he moved to within touching distance of victory.

Gilbert found himself 34-5 ahead in the fifth frame as he attempted to turn the match on its head. But after potting a yellow, a wasp dived towards the 43-year-old as he ducked out of the way and batted the insect away. He then exclaimed: “Where is it?”

Former Shanghai Masters champion Dominic Dale, who was commentating on the match for TNT Sports, remarked: “Oh, what has happened there? A wasp? Something has attacked him there, Phil.”

And commentator Philip Studd joked: “That has woken everyone up.”

Gilbert was obviously taken by surprise by the attack but eventually saw the funny side as he mumbled to himself and laughed. But the occurrence may have clouded his focus as he went on to lose the frame, with Robertson wrapping up the win.

Gilbert had cut a frustrated figure at times during the match as he struggled to move through the gears and test his opponent. And after missing an easy pink to the centre pocket, he slammed his cue on the floor in anger.

Robertson’s victory means he has progressed to the World Grand Prix quarter-finals, where he will take on the winner of the match between Xiao Guodong and Lei Peifan.

The 43-year-old will be joined in the last eight by the likes of Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham and John Higgins. The quarters will be played on Friday, with the final due to go ahead on Sunday.

Gilbert is currently ranked at No. 22 in the world, but enjoyed a strong run at the World Snooker Championship last year as he reached the semi-finals before bowing out to eventual champion Kyren Wilson.

And ahead of his last-four clash at the Crucible, he told SportsBoom: “I just want to prove to myself that I can.

“I miss being a top player, a top-16 player. I've tried to destroy my career as much as possible and it was on self-destruct mode basically.”