Ding Junhui Defeats World No. 1 in 5-4 Victory at the Masters: "Director Ding" Challenges Trump
Beijing time, January 16th news: The 2025 Snooker Masters continues. On the fourth day of the first round, Zhang Anda, the national championship winner, lost to world championship winner Kyren Wilson with a score of 4-6. Earlier, Ding Junhui made a comeback against three-time world championship winner Mark Williams with a score of 6-5. In the next round, Ding Junhui will challenge world No. 1 Judd Trump, who he has defeated in consecutive matches with a score of 5-4 in the Hangzhou exhibition and Lhasa challenge before the Masters.
The Snooker Masters is one of the top three snooker events, which all players attach great importance to. Last season, "China's No. 1" Ding Junhui once scored a maximum single shot of 147 points in the game, but unfortunately, he still lost to his old rival O'Sullivan.
This season, as the defending champion, O'Sullivan announced his withdrawal from the tournament due to a series of poor performances before the start of the Masters. In an interview, his mental state seemed not bad, saying, "I'm fine, at least not too bad."
When asked why he chose to withdraw from the Masters that everyone wanted to participate in, O'Sullivan said, "It was really a nightmare decision. If you asked me on Sunday if I was ready, I might have gone, but it's such a grand event."
O'Sullivan withdrew from the 2025 Masters, while Ding Junhui attaches great importance to this event and looks forward to proving himself again in the top three events. His first match was in the 1/8 finals against three-time world championship winner "Golden Left Hand" Mark Williams.
In this match, Ding Junhui started well, taking a 1-0 lead. Williams then overtook with a score of 2-1, and the two tied at 2-2 in the first half. In the second half, Williams made a strong push and won the match point with a score of 5-4 after the ninth round.
In a desperate situation, "Director Ding" showed his big heart, winning two consecutive rounds to reverse and eliminate Williams with a total score of 6-5. In the quarter-finals, Ding Junhui will challenge "Accuracy King" Judd Trump, who has already won three championships this season. Trump swept veteran Barry Hawkins 6-1 in the first round. Prior to the Masters, Ding Junhui defeated Trump with a score of 5-4 in consecutive matches in the Hangzhou exhibition and Lhasa challenge.