Ding Junhui is still considered the Godfather of Chinese snooker and he will have the chance to take on reigning Crucible king Zhao Xintong on the biggest stage, having seen off David Gilbert 10-5 in the opening round.
Ding’s success goes back to 2005 when he won the China Open and UK Championship – which proved the catalyst for the explosion of interest in snooker in his country. He now has 15 ranking titles – including three UK crowns – to his name though the world title has always eluded him, his best run coming in 2016 when he was runner-up to Mark Selby.
Zhao is at the crest of the wave of players who followed in Ding’s footsteps, and last year became the first from Asia to conquer the Crucible. This year there were a record 11 Chinese players in the last 32 at the Theatre of Dreams, and Ding will face Zhao in a last 16 tie which starts on Friday and is sure to generate gargantuan interest in their home country.
This has been a quiet season so far for 39-year-old Ding and he is yet to reach a ranking semi-final. When he lost to Marco Fu in the qualifying round of the World Open in February he looked likely to drop out of the elite top 16 as he had not qualified for any events leading up to Sheffield. However results went his way and he clung on to 16th spot, and against Gilbert he showed indications of a return to form. If he can replicate that level he will provide a fascinating test for in-form Zhao.
Ding led 7-2 overnight having made breaks of 94, 74, 100, 72 and 52 in the first session. Gilbert took the opening frame today and in the next he led 57-1 when he ran out of position then missed a mid-range red, and Ding capitalised with a 65 clearance for 8-3. In frame 12, Ding led 30-1 when he missed the black off its spot, gifting Gilbert the chance top ignite a fight back with a run of 78.
Up 68-6 in the 13th, Ding needed just one more red, but an attempted plant wobbled in the jaws of a top corner. He later missed the reds when attempting safety and Gilbert’s excellent 59 narrowed his deficit to 8-5 at the interval. However Ding regained the initiative with a break of 106, then in frame 15 Gilbert missed a risky brown to a baulk corner when he led 36-0, and Ding’s 61 helped him past the winning line.
“The frame to go 8-3 up was really crucial,” said Ding, who is playing at the Crucible for the 20th consecutive year and is into the second round for the 13th time. “To win that frame was very important because David played well in the frames before the interval.
“In the end, it doesn’t really matter who wins (against Zhao). Let’s see if at this year’s World Championship we can have a situation like at the World Grand Prix Hong Kong, where it came down to only Chinese players in the semi-finals. That way, no matter who wins, the title still goes to a Chinese player.
“Achieving good results can help bring more recognition to snooker in China and attract more people to follow and learn the sport. I think it’s even more important to help raise the overall competitive level of Chinese snooker.”
John Higgins reached the last 16 of the Halo World Championship for the 12th year in a row by beating Ali Carter 10-7, raising hopes of a second round clash with fellow legend Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Not since 2014, when he lost to Alan McManus, has Higgins fallen at the first hurdle and with a dozen consecutive wins at that stage he has the longest active streak of any player. Two-time Crucible finalist Carter was among the toughest qualifiers to draw, and Higgins looked in danger when he lost five frames in a row to trail 5-4, but he proved the stronger player today to take six of the last eight frames.
Scotland’s 50-year-old Higgins has enjoyed an impressive level of consistency this season, reaching three finals and three semi-finals, albeit missing out on silverware. He hopes to finish the campaign with another deep run and would relish the opportunity to take on O’Sullivan, though the Rocket must first overcome the challenge of He Guoqiang. Higgins and O’Sullivan have previously met six times at the Crucible, most recently in 2022 when the Englishman won 17-11 in the semi-finals.
Trailing 5-4 going into today’s concluding session, Higgins took the first two frames today with breaks of 63 and 81. Carter responded with a run of 106 before Higgins dominated the next to lead 7-6 at the interval. Frame 14 proved crucial as Carter had a chance to snatch it from 40-8 down, but on 54 he missed a tough pot on the last red, handing Higgins the opportunity to double his advantage.
A run of 50 helped Higgins win the next for 9-6, and breaks of 43 and 19 in the 17th were enough to put him into the last 16 for the 28th time in 32 consecutive appearances. So far all seven completed matches have gone in favour of the seeded player.
“When the draw came out I wasn’t happy because I knew it would be a mammoth game,” said Higgins, champion in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011. “No one in the game has more respect for Ali’s game than me, he can cue like a dream and he is one of the biggest battlers. The 14th frame was huge, to go 8-6 up as that gave me the cushion to go on and win.
“If I do play Ronnie it would be special, a big occasion. Maybe it would be the last time we would play each other here. I’d just have to forget about that because I’d be out there to try to win a match, buckle down and give it everything. I’m putting less pressure on myself, just taking it as it is and not expecting too much at my age.”
Carter, asked if his glass is half full or half empty, joked: “The glass is smashed to bits! I am sick as a dog. The big difference in the game was the run of the ball, quite a few times John missed balls or got out of snookers and didn’t leave me a chance.“
On the other table, Wu Yize blitzed to an 8-1 lead over Chinese compatriot Lei Peifan. Wu, age 22, has enjoyed a breakthrough season, beating Higgins in the final to secure maiden ranking silverware at the International Championship and reaching further semi-finals at the Masters, Welsh Open and World Open.
Wu’s previous two Crucible appearances have ended in first round defeats, but he now needs just two more frames to reach the last 16 for the first time. Breaks of 93, 92, 85, 67, 58 and 105 propelled Wu clear this afternoon and he will hope to finish the job when they return tomorrow at 2:30pm.
Stan Moody’s enthralling Crucible debut ended in defeat as the teenager made critical errors in the closing stages of a 10-7 defeat against Kyren Wilson in the first round of the Halo World Championship.
Moody, 19, was on course to become the youngest player to win a match at the Crucible since Ronnie O’Sullivan in 1995 when he led 7-3, but crucially he passed up a chance to go 8-3 ahead, and later another to make it 8-6. Wilson showed the resolve which won him the title in 2024 as he stormed back to take the last seven frames and punched the air in relief as he celebrated victory. Having avoided a seismic Sheffield shock, the world number two is into the last 16 and will face Mark Allen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The first British teenager to make a Crucible debut since Judd Trump in 2007, Moody looked in his element for much of the day, exuding confidence as he showed the full range of his potting and break-building skills. He was dominating the tie at 7-3, but perhaps tightened up as the winning line drew close and the lost momentum.
Wilson suffered a painful 10-9 first round defeat against Lei Peifan a year ago and was determined to avoid a similar fate. His season has included titles at the invitational Shanghai Masters and the Masters, though in ranking events he is yet to reach a semi-final. The 34-year-old is into the last 16 at the Crucible for the tenth time and still has the chance to finish the campaign strongly.
Trailing 6-3 after the first session, Wilson had chances in the opening frame tonight but missed the green to a baulk corner when he led 44-28, and Moody converted a doubled red to a centre pocket to set up a 48 clearance. Moody might have gone 8-3 up but missed the last red along the top cushion when he led by 35 points in frame 11. Wilson cleared the table to force a respotted black, then potted it from distance to spark his fight back.
A break of 63 from Wilson helped make it 7-5 and in frame 13, Moody missed a risky yellow to a centre pocket when he trailed 52-15, and soon the gap was just one. Moody looked sure to go 8-6 ahead until he broke down on 68 in the 14th with four reds left, and Wilson replied with 24 before gaining the three snookers he needed on the last red and cleared to level the tie.
Early in the next frame, Moody missed an awkward black to a top corner on 7, and Wilson’s run of 46 gave him the lead for the first time, then he dominated the 16th with 35 and 34 for 9-7. Yorkshire’s Moody might have kept the match alive if he had cleared the colours in frame 17, but he missed a tough final black which was close to the top cushion, and Wilson slotted it home.
“It was really tough, at 7-3 I had to keep going to the well,” said Wilson. “I wasn’t playing great but I made some dogged clearances and I had to keep doing the right things. I knew I had more experience than Stan here and that was bound to be a factor.
“Stan is a credit to the younger generation, my kids are often supporting him. He was very impressive this morning and I am sure he will learn from this experience, it won’t be the last time you see him here. I won a couple of big frames which must have sapped the energy out of him.“
Moody said: “I’m gutted, I lost too many bad frames. I had the match won at 7-3 then it turned around. I felt comfortable out there, it was still a great experience and I have to learn from it.“
Meanwhile, 2005 champion Shaun Murphy took a 5-4 overnight lead against China’s Fan Zhengyi. They return on Tuesday at 7pm with the winner to meet Xiao Guodong next.
Murphy took a 3-1 lead with a top break of 78 then Fan took the next with a run of 66 and won frame six on a respotted black. The next two were shared, then Murphy finished the session strongly with a 140 total clearance.
There isn’t much to add really.
Ding’s interview is quite revealing. He seems to care more about the future of snooker in China and about the success of the Chinese contingent as a whole than about his personal success. From what I understand heyball is developing faster than snooker in China. It’s probably an easier, hence more enjoyable, game for beginners. Its “faster” too. The latest match fixing scandal has certainly tarnished snooker’s image in China, as well as the Chinese players’ image worldwide. Ding was the “pioneer” Chinese player and the whole affair must have been particularly painful for him.
Ronnie starts his first round match this afternoon. I will be honest: my expectations are low. He Guoqiang is a very good, very dangerous player.
No, no. Ding is just trying to take pressure off himself, just like many other players do in interviews. It doesn’t mean anything. But I do expect it to be a strange and unique kind of match.
No, no. Ding is just trying to take pressure off himself, just like many other players do in interviews. It doesn’t mean anything. But I do expect it to be a strange and unique kind of match.