Ding Ends Trophy Drought At Haining Open Asian Tour

Ding Junhui won his first title for 16 months by beating Ricky Walden 4-3 in the final of the Haining Open Asian Tour event in China.

It’s a welcome return to form for China’s top player, who won five ranking titles during a record-equalling 2013/14 campaign, but then struggled to match the same heights last season, with his only victory coming at the Yixing Open in June 2014. World number four Ding, age 28, will hope that this success in Haining, earned by winning seven matches, will give him the confidence to return to the very top.

Chester’s Walden took the opening frame of the final with a break of 79 then added a scrappy second. Ding’s run of 77 made it 2-1 before Walden took the fourth with a break of 66.

Ding made an 82 to close the gap and his break of 53 put him in control of frame six. Walden got the snookers he needed only for his opponent to pot green and brown for 3-3. And a typically clinical break of 74 from Ding in the decider gave him the £13,500 top prize.

Ding Junhui and Ricky Walden At The Haining Open Asian Tour event in China.

Ding’s victory may also earn him a spot at the Champion of Champions in Coventry next month.

Both players now head to Daqing in the north of China for next week’s International Championship, where Walden will be defending the title having won the £125,000 top prize last year.

Daqing To Host Snooker’s International Championship

Daqing in the north-east of China will host a world ranking event for the first time this season when the 2015 International Championship comes to the city.

The tournament will run from October 25 to November 1 at the Baihu Media Broadcasting Centre in Daqing, in the west of China’s Heilongjiang province.

The International Championship is the richest snooker event staged outside the UK, with total prize money of £657,000 and the winner to collect £125,000.

Ricky Walden won the title last year by beating Mark Allen 10-7 in the final. The event was first staged in 2012 in Chengdu, won by Judd Trump in that year and Ding Junhui in 2013.

The qualifying round will be staged in Barnsley from September 30 to October 3, with all players needing to win one match to go through to the last 64 at the venue. However the defending champion (Walden), World Champion (Stuart Bingham) and the top two Chinese players will have their matches held over to Daqing.

Oliver Lines

Miles Pearce, World Snooker’s Chief Representative in China, said: “We are delighted to bring a major snooker event to the wonderful city of Daqing for the first time. There is an incredible level of support for snooker throughout China so it’s important to continue to the grow the sport through holding events in new cities.

“The World Snooker International Championship has rapidly become one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar and will be contested by an extremely strong field. Alongside the promoter CCTVSE we look forward to delivering another top class sporting event.”

The draw will be announced after the entry deadline of September 16th.