China’s Ding Junhui showcased his experience and skill by defeating England’s Zak Surety 10-7 to secure a place in the last 16 of the World Snooker Championship at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old Ding started strong, winning the first four frames and establishing a 6-3 lead after the first session. Surety, making his debut at the Crucible, made history by becoming the first player to score four centuries on his debut, displaying remarkable tenacity.
Upon resuming, Surety fought back, taking the 10th frame with a century break of 109. Ding, who had lost his last four opening matches at the Crucible, regained momentum by winning the 11th frame. Surety continued to impress with consecutive century runs of 136 and 110, narrowing the gap to 7-6.
Ding responded with an 86 in frame 14, but Surety kept the pressure on by taking the 15th frame, bringing the score to a close 8-7. Demonstrating composure, Ding finished strongly, making a century of 116 followed by a 75 to clinch the victory.
After the match, Ding praised Surety’s performance, saying, “I think Surety performed very well during the match and kept attacking me. He tried to find opportunities to fight back. I did not make any mistakes in those frames which he won. I focused on scoring more points. I would’ve lost my form if I sat for a long time. I tried my best to control the rhythm of the match.”
In other action, China’s Si Jiahui advanced to the last 16 after a solid performance against David Gilbert. Si took a 6-3 lead into their second session, winning the opening frame with a break of 98. Despite Gilbert’s maximum break of 147 in the 11th frame, Si dominated with a top run of 55 to lead 8-4.
Gilbert fought back with runs of 104 and 102 after the interval, closing the gap to 9-6. However, Si secured a scrappy 16th frame to complete a 10-6 victory. He will face either Mark Selby or Ben Woollaston in the next round.
