Ding Junhui
- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ding.
_2015-02-05_01.jpg?lang=en) | |
| Nickname | The Dragon[1] |
|---|---|
| Professional | 2003 – present |
| Highest ranking | 27 (06/07) |
| Current ranking | 6 (as of 5 May 2025) |
| Century breaks | 698 (as of 1 June 2025) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 3 |
Ding Junhui (simplified Chinese: 丁俊晖; traditional Chinese: 丁俊暉; pinyin: Dīng Jùnhuī; sometimes referred to as Jun-hui Ding in the West; born April 1 1987) is a Chinese snooker player, born in Yixing, Jiangsu (near Shanghai), and is now a resident of England during the snooker season.
Early career
Ding started playing snooker at the age of nine. He practices the game for eight hours every day,[citation needed] and in 2003 he became the number one ranked player in China.[citation needed]
Ding shot to international prominence in 2002, when he won the Asian Under-21 Championship, the Asian Championship, and the IBSF World Under-21 Championship. He was unable to progress much in 2003, as both the Asian Championship and Under-21 Championship had to be cancelled because of the SARS virus crisis, but he was a semi-finalist in the IBSF World Under-21 championship, and was awarded a Main Tour concession by the WPBSA, which enabled him to turn professional in September 2003.
Professional career
In February 2004, Ding was awarded a wildcard entry to the Masters in London, where, in the first round, he defeated the then world no. 16-ranked player, Joe Perry,[2] before narrowly losing 6-5 in the second round to experienced top player Stephen Lee after holding a 2-5 lead over him.[3] His performance favourably impressed many commentators, who since then rated him a likely future World Champion.
In March 2005, he celebrated his 18th birthday by reaching the final of the China Open in Beijing, along the way defeating world top-16 ranked players Peter Ebdon, Marco Fu and Ken Doherty. He played the final with world no-3 ranked Stephen Hendry, whom he beat by nine frames to five to score his first ranking tournament win: a major surprise.
In December 2005, he beat another crop of (now former) world top-16 players, namely Jimmy White, the late Paul Hunter and Joe Perry once more on his way to reaching the final of another major tournament, the UK Championship at the Barbican Centre in York. This time he met the resurgent snooker legend Steve Davis in the final, and defeated him by ten frames to six, in doing so becoming the first player from outside Britain or Ireland to win that particular title. Following this victory, his world ranking was provisionally raised from 60 (62 at the start of the season) to 31. A top-32 ranking would ensure he did not have to pre-qualify for various tournaments, and would only have to win one match to reach the World Championships in Sheffield. His official world ranking for the new season is 27th.
On 19 August, 2006, he beat Stephen Lee 6-1, and reached the final of the Northern Ireland Trophy, meeting Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final the following day. He beat O'Sullivan 9-6 to claim his third ranking tournament win,[4] becoming only the third person ever to do so before his twentieth birthday,[4] after O'Sullivan and John Higgins.[4] This win pushed his provisional world ranking position up to fifth.
In December 2006, he won three gold medals at the Asian Games, winning the Single, Double and Team Snooker competitions. The following week, he reached, as the defending champion, the quarterfinal stage of the 2006 UK Snooker Championship,[5] and subsequently lost to his practice partner and eventual winner, Peter Ebdon, by 9 frames to 5.[5]
On 1 January, 2007, he beat Cao Xinlong 5-4 to reach the final of the Chinese National Snooker Championship in East China's Yixing, Jiangsu province, his home town. The following day, he beat Xiao Guodong in the final by 6 frames to 2, in doing so becoming the national champion once again. [6]
On 14 January, 2007, Ding made a 147 break in the opening match of the Saga Insurance Masters against Anthony Hamilton.[7] It was the first maximum in the competition since that of Kirk Stevens in 1984, which was also the only one up to then.[7] Additionally, Ding is the youngest player to make a 147 during a televised session (a record previously held by Ronnie O'Sullivan),[7] and became the first Chinese snooker player in the history of BBC's coverage to make a televised maximum. He went on to make the final of the tournament, becoming the youngest player to reach a Masters final. He made a confident start by winning the first two frames. However, O'Sullivan went on to produce what many regard as one of the finest displays of snooker ever seen on television. His dominance, along with the boisterous and hostile nature of the crowd, left Ding visibly distraught during the twelfth frame, trailing 8-3 in the best of 19 frames contest. The latter appeared resigned to defeat, taking little time to consider his shot selection, and after the frame shook hands with O'Sullivan, after which the two walked arm in arm to the dressing room area, but because it had only been the last frame before the mid-session interval, and so indeed not the very last frame of the match, no-one knew if he had conceded the match, believed the match was over or was just congratulating O'Sullivan on his formidable play. He ultimately lost the match on the next frame, and later claimed that he thought the match was indeed a "best of 17". Following the Masters, Ding lost 5-2 to Stephen Maguire in the very first round of the Malta Cup.
Ranking event wins
- China Open - 2005
- UK Championship - 2005
- Northern Ireland Trophy - 2006
References
- ^ "Ding Junhui". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Shea, Julian. "Ding wins on debut'", February 2, 2004. At BBC.co.uk; last accessed January 19, 2007.
- ^ Shea, Julian. "Lee ends Ding hopes'", February 3, 2004. At BBC.co.uk; last accessed January 19, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Ding beats O'Sullivan in NI final'", August 20 2006. At BBC.co.uk; last accessed January 19, 2007.
- ^ a b "Champion Ding defeated by Ebdon'", December 13, 2006. At BBC.co.uk; last accessed January 22, 2007.
- ^ Liu Dan (2007-01-02). "Chinese snooker talent Ding retains national title". Xinhua. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c '"Ding compiles maximum at Masters'", January 14, 2007. At BBC.co.uk; last accessed January 17, 2007.