DING ?ROUND TWO!
Chinese prodigy Ding Junhui made a sensational Masters debut at Wembley today (Monday), making two centuries in a 6-3 defeat of Joe Perry.
Snooker?s new Star or the Orient showed no signs of nerves despite playing at a major tournament venue for the first time. The 16-year-old super-talent, who hails from near Shanghai but is now based in Northamptonshire, is through to the last 16 of the sport?s most prestigious invitation event.
The teenager is already guaranteed a cheque for ?,500 and will face world No 5 Stephen Lee tomorrow night for a place in the quarter-finals.
Ding came to the fore in 2002 when he won the World under-21 Championship at the age of 15. He also won the Asian under-21 and senior titles and a gold medal in the Asian Games. His exceptional potential was confirmed last summer when he beat Mark Williams and Marco Fu in an invitation event in Thailand before losing 5-4 to Ken Doherty in the semi-finals.
Turning professional, Ding was granted a concession to the Main Tour and is now playing his debut season. He was also given a wild card to the Masters and unquestionably justified his selection today with a convincing defeat of world No 16 Perry.
?I was nervous as I walked up the stairs into the arena but I was confident of winning,?said Ding with the aid of a translator at his post-match press conference. ?I played better today than I have been recently. In ranking events I have put too much pressure on myself because I had high hopes for this season.?P>Former world champion Peter Ebdon, a practise partner of Ding who has described him as the Tiger Woods of snooker, telephoned after the match to congratulate his colleague.
A crowd of 550 at the Conference Centre watched in amazement in the first three frames as Ding, totally unfazed, rolled in breaks of 58, 62 and 108 to go 3-0 up. Experienced campaigner Perry, from Wisbech, fought back to 3-2, then took a back seat again as the Chinese player knocked in a 118, the highest break of the event so far.
Perry stole frame seven with a 50 clearance but his opponent made 61 and 55 in the next two to secure victory.
?I started playing snooker at the age of nine on a small table at home,?added Ding. ?I played during the school holidays and whenever I had the chance. A few months later I began to play on a full size table in a club close by.
?There is a lot of interest back in China about me playing in the Masters. But my chances of winning the tournament are very small.?P>One supporter was particularly delighted by the result - he placed a bet of ?,000 at official bookmakers Ladbrokes for Ding to win 6-3...at odds of 12-1!
Date: 02/02/2004 14:54:24
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The Masters 2004 News
Posted - 02.02.2004 : 22:31:14
