Ding Junhui Continues to Defeat World No. 1 Trump with 5-4 Wins: Is There a Chance for the Masters?
January 11th News: The 2025 Snooker Masters is about to begin. "China's No. 1," Ding Junhui, hopes to continue his good form from the Hangzhou Performance Match and the Lhasa Winter Plateau Snooker Challenge, where he defeated world No. 1 Judd Trump twice in a row with a score of 5-4, aiming for his second Masters championship.
This season, "China's No. 1" Ding Junhui started low but gradually improved, experiencing multiple "first-round exits" at the beginning of the season. He finally made a comeback at the Snooker National Championships, defeating Chris Wakelin 10-7 in the final to win the championship.
At the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, the Macau Masters Invitational, Hangzhou Performance Match, and Lhasa Winter Plateau Snooker Challenge were held successively. Ding Junhui participated in these three events and defeated world No. 1 "Accuracy King" Judd Trump twice.
In the Macau Masters Invitational, Ding Junhui lost 1-5 to Trump. In the Hangzhou Performance Match, Ding Junhui narrowly won 5-4 against Trump. In the following Lhasa Winter Plateau Snooker Challenge, Ding Junhui faced Trump again.
In the first two games of this match, both sides scored 87 points each, winning one game each. Ding Junhui took the lead again with a single shot of 109 points in the third game. The specific scores for the first three games were 88 (87)-1, 0-88 (87), and 109 (109)-0.
In the fourth game, Ding Junhui and Trump engaged in an offensive battle. Ding Junhui scored 57 points, but Trump scored a stronger 63 points, narrowly winning 64-57, leveling the score at 2-2 again. In the fifth game, Trump blasted a single shot of 109 points, making the score 3-2.
In the sixth game, Ding Junhui scored 56 points to level the score at 3-3. In the seventh and eighth games, Ding Junhui and Trump tied again at 4-4. In the decisive game, Ding Junhui sealed the victory with a single shot of 118 points, defeating the world No. 1 again with a total score of 5-4. So, can Ding Junhui maintain this form in the upcoming Masters?