Spicy 2nd round derby awaits after Ding Junhui continues China's march at Snooker World Championship

Ding Junhui is the Godfather of Asian snooker, and even though he isn't quite at the level he used to be, the 39-year old is still a superstar in his homeland.

That homeland in question is of course China, which has exploded to become the dominant force of snooker over the last couple of years. Ding can take a lot of credit for this, as maybe none of the other 10 Chinese players in the field would be at the Crucible without him there to inspire them.

Ding's first round opponent David Gilbert looked to be in deep trouble right from the start with his Chinese counterpart racing to a 7-2 lead following the first session. Ding only barely managed to make the tournament via ranking status as the final player, but he wasn't letting it show.

After the break Gilbert mustered some frames to make the score 8-5, but any hope of a comeback was quickly snuffed out. Ding took all of the following frames to advance to the second round with a scoreline of 10-5, allowing his opponent only a sniff or two of stealing any further frames.

His victory sets up perhaps the most spicy Chinese derby possible, as he will now face reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong in the second round.

- The frame where I got a 8-3 lead was particularly important, as Gilbert was gaining momentum and playing well, Ding commented on his 20th visit to the Crucible.

He's now reached at least the second round on 13 occassions, but claiming the scalp of the reigning World Champion being a requirement for further progression this year is a daunting task.

Ding doesn't see it quite as negatively though, adding: "In the end it doesn't really matter who wins. Let's see if it goes like at the Hong Kong World Grand Prix, where all the semi-finalists were Chinese. In that case it doesn't matter who wins, just as long as the title goes to China."

The obviously patriotic Chineseman continued: "Good results bring more attention to snooker in China, which in turn brings new players who can help lift the sport's status in China even further.

Although Ding's star has fallen, the next round match will be a showpiece occasion in China, so stay tuned in!

Below you can find all the scores, schedule and results from the World Championship.

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Source: WST