Currently, one of the three major snooker events that has captured the attention of snooker enthusiasts worldwide is the Masters, which is in full swing. As the standard-bearer of Chinese snooker, Ding Junhui is also participating in this prestigious tournament, which only features the top sixteen players in the world rankings. In a recent high-profile match, Ding Junhui defeated the renowned Mark Williams with great strength, advancing to the quarter-finals. After overcoming such a formidable opponent, Ding Junhui also displayed his strong self-confidence: "I love the Masters, and as long as I am given an opportunity, I can seize it."
In China, when it comes to snooker, despite the emergence of many young talents in recent years who have performed well, the first person that comes to mind for everyone is still Ding Junhui, even though he has been in poor form in recent seasons, experiencing a prolonged championship drought. It is precisely because of this that Ding Junhui, whose state is gradually recovering, has given fans more expectations. Among the ongoing three major events, the Masters, with its gathering of top players, did not disappoint the fans who like and support Ding Junhui in his first-round appearance.
Ding Junhui's first-round opponent was the veteran Mark Williams, who, although older, still possesses top-level skills as a world-class player. Such a matchup undoubtedly presented a tough challenge. Indeed, from the start of the match, both sides quickly entered a fighting state, with each winning a game in the first two rounds, resulting in a 1:1 draw. In the third round, Ding Junhui made a break of 69 points to achieve a reversal. In the fourth round, Mark Williams responded with a break of 57 points, and both sides tied at 2:2 after the first four rounds, entering the halftime break. This score indicated that the match would be anything but simple.
The scene of each side winning a game continued after the halftime break, with both sides winning another game in the fifth and sixth rounds, tying the big score at 3:3. Unexpectedly, in the seventh and eighth rounds, they again each won a game, with the big score becoming 4:4. It must be said that the match was indeed very close. In the ninth round, after making a break of 66 points, Ding Junhui made a mistake, allowing Mark Williams to reverse the game and take the lead with a match point.
However, as expected by the fans, a tie reappeared in this match. In the tenth round, Ding Junhui made a break of 76 points to level the big score at 5:5, bringing the match to the decider. In the decider, Williams failed to attack the long table, giving Ding Junhui the opportunity to go up. As a result, Ding Junhui won with a decisive break of 90 points, ultimately defeating Williams 6-5 and advancing to the quarter-finals of the Masters, launching a challenge for the championship.
After the match, Ding Junhui made a very domineering statement in an interview. He said, "There was a bit of luck involved; when I was trailing 4-5, I opened the game, but he had no chance. However, earlier when I had the opportunity to lead 5-4, I didn't pay special attention, missed the black ball, and lost a game. I thought, I must seize the next opportunity, as long as you give me the chance." As long as you give me the chance, I can seize it. It must be said that Ding Junhui, whose state has recovered, still possesses the skills, and his confidence has returned. We also look forward to Ding Junhui continuing his excellent performance in this Masters and eventually winning the championship.