Ding Junhui wins Welsh Open

Ding Junhui

Ding Junhui beat Mark Selby 9-6 to win the final of the Welsh Open in Newport.

In a match which produced five centuries and seven more breaks over 50, Ding, beat the world No.1 for the fifth world-ranking title of his career.

The 24-year-old, who won the Masters last season and also reached the semi-finals of the world championship, had not been in anything like that form in recent months. But this victory suggests he could be among the leading contenders at the Crucible this year.

Selby increased his lead at the top of the world rankings but also the perception that he racks up the ranking points but not the titles. With this defeat he missed out on what would have been his third ranking title and second of the season. Players are remembered for the titles they win not how long they spend at the top of a ranking list.

Ding was 5-3 up after the first session but Selby won the first frame of the evening session with a break of 73 and then Ding replied with a break of 83 to lead 6-4. He then led 34-0 in the next but, when he missed what looked an easy red to a top-corner pocket, Selby took the frame with a break of 91.

But Ding simply went back to the table and reeled off a break of 124 to lead 7-5 at the mid-session interval, and then won frame 13 with a 130 total clearance to lead by three with four to play.

Now Selby delivered the play of a world No.1 with a 145 total clearance, which was the highest break of the tournament and earned him a £1,000 bonus.

But that was the closest he got to the main prize.

Ding won the 15th frame with a break of 42 and, when Selby missed a long pot on the third-last red, Ding wrapped up the title-winning frame too.

"It feels great," Ding said to worldsnooker.com. "I was nervous during the final and missed a few chances. Mark kept the pressure on me and it was a hard game. In practice I have been feeling good and playing like I was a few years ago.”

Looking ahead to the world championship, Ding added: "I have a chance. Last year i got to the semi-finals so I have experience of the long matches. I was disappointed last year because I made one mistake on a break of 40 against Judd Trump [when he led 15-14] which cost me the match. If I had got to the final I think I would have had a better chance than Judd to win. I will try very hard.”

So will Selby, who saw where he went wrong. "The frame I lost to go 2-2 rather than 3-1 up was probably the turning point, even if it didn't seem like it at the time,” he said. “I had my fair share of chances in the match and you can't afford to miss them against a player of Ding's class. He's one of the best break-builders.

"At 5-3 down I had to take my chances and I didn't take enough of them. I never give up until the last ball is potted and if I could have got to 8-7 I would have been right in it, but every credit to Ding for how well he played. I'm taking the positives out of the week because I've turned my form around and with more hard work hopefully I can win another title this season."

Paul Wheeler

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