Ding Ready to Play On

Hong Rui Ma Yushan World Open champion Ding Junhui insists he will continue to play in the tournament even though he is due to become a father at any minute.

The Chinese star and his wife Apple will become parents for the first time in the coming days and Ding admits he has been on red alert this week. The world number six is ready to carry on for the time being as he waits for news from back home.

He showed no signs of nerves when he dispatched of James Wattana on Monday. Ding lost three frames in a row and was trailing to the Thai veteran 4-3 at one point. However, he won the eighth frame after an intense battle and then took the decider with a break of 80.

Ding now meets Yuan Sijun in the last 64 on Tuesday and is 1.61 to win via the -2.5 handicap. After his win, Ding told World Snooker: “I played okay, I didn’t feel any pressure because it was the first game of the new season.

It’s difficult to play against James because he has a lot of experience, he taught me a lot when I was young. “I have been away from snooker for two months so it’s nice to be back and I will try to enjoy the matches.

This is just the first game so it’s nice to get some confidence. “When I was practising a week ago it was difficult, but Apple said I should play in the World Open.”