Haikou (China), March 12 (IANS): World No. 3 Ding Junhui scrambled to a 5-4 win over India’s Pankaj Advani with breaks of 52, 136 and 86 in the last three frames to shrug off a 2-4 deficit en route to the Round of 16 in the Haikou World Open Professional Snooker Tournament here Wednesday.
Ding once again showed his skill and calmness under pressure with a winning break in the deciding frame to beat Advani, who is currently ranked 66, in a thrilling encounter that was within the Indian’s grasp.
Of the 10 matches he has played in ranking events this season which have gone to a deciding frame, Ding has won all as the Chinese ace is chasing a record-equalling fifth ranking title this season.
After sharing the first four frames, Advani made breaks of 86 and 74 to go 4-2 up and led 35-0 in Frame 7 before Ding fought back to win it with a run of 52.
A superb 136 got Ding back to 4-4 and he needed just one chance in the decider, making 86 to seal victory.
“We both played well. I watched Pankaj’s first round match and he is definitely a tough opponent. The key to winning a decider is to take one chance, winning it in one visit. Maybe I’m more confident. Everyone hopes to win the deciders in one visit but it’s up to your performance whether you take that chance or not,” said Ding.
“Even at 4-2 down I was playing okay and I wasn’t that nervous. I wouldn’t have minded if I had lost because I’ve been playing a lot of tournaments so I wasn’t concentrating hard enough for the first few frames, which caused some mistakes. It wasn’t really pressure. Today I was patient all the way. Pankaj was able to make breaks of 50 or more every time he had a chance, which made it really tough.”
