Armed with his hefty lead, Trump made sure he carried focus into the evening session.
The Tour Championship launched in 2019 and this is the eighth edition, with Robertson a two-time former winner, so Trump knew he was not to be underestimated.
“In my eyes Neil loves to win 10-0 so I wanted to beat him 10-1 or give myself something to focus on so he didn’t get back in it,” said the 36-year-old Englishman.
“At this point you want to beat everyone with the World Championship just around the corner. Whoever I play in the final it will be an amazing game.”
After Trump built on his brisk start to develop a 6-0 lead, Australia’s Robertson celebrated with the crowd when he won frame seven.
While Robertson reduced his arrears to 7-3 by winning the first two frames when play resumed in the evening, Trump closed the door on any prospect of a full-scale fightback with runs of 87 and 75 to move 9-3 ahead.
He then traded frames with his opponent to set up a mouth-watering finale to the tournament against Zhao or reigning champion Higgins, who begin their semi-final at 13:00 BST on Saturday.
This is the final event for snooker’s elite players before the World Championship begins in Sheffield on 18 April.
