Ding Junhui of the Chinese mainland secured his place in the round of 32 at the World Snooker Tour (WST) World Open held in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, on Monday, after a hard-fought 5-2 victory over England's Joe Perry.
The match began with Perry capitalizing on several unforced errors from Ding to take an early 1-0 lead. However, Ding swiftly responded with a remarkable 123-century break, leveling the score and setting the stage for an intense competition.
Displaying resilience, Ding clinched the third frame to take a 2-1 advantage. Despite Perry's efforts to equalize again with an 87 break in the fourth frame, Ding was undeterred, delivering an impressive 138-century run to regain the upper hand. Maintaining solid defense in the subsequent frames, Ding ultimately triumphed with a decisive 68 break in the seventh frame.
\"I think the third frame of the match was crucial because I made a few mistakes, which gave Perry several opportunities,\" Ding remarked. \"So it was really tough for me to overcome those difficulties and take a 2-1 lead. I don't have any expectations for the upcoming matches. I will just try my best to play. Every player has a different style and characteristics, which presents different challenges for me, so I can only deal with various issues during the match.\"
In related action, England's world champion Shaun Murphy delivered a dominant performance against the Chinese mainland's Zhou Jinhao, winning 5-0 and registering three century breaks. Murphy's highlight of the evening was his 147 maximum break, marking his tenth official 147 and his second of the season.
This achievement places Murphy ahead of Stuart Bingham among his compatriots to hold multiple maximum breaks, trailing only behind England's Ronnie O'Sullivan with fifteen, Scotland's John Higgins with thirteen, and Stephen Hendry with eleven.
\"I'm absolutely delighted, but I must say it was an early session, an early start,\" Murphy expressed. \"There weren't many fans in this morning, so it was probably the most underwhelming 147 of all time, but they're all special. I can't believe it – I'm blown away.\"
Reference(s):
Ding Junhui defeats Joe Perry to reach round of 32 at WST World Open
cgtn.com
