China's Ding crushes Lisowski to reach Masters quarterfinals

LONDON - China's former world number one Ding Junhui eased past debutant Jack Lisowski 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the Masters snooker tournament at Alexandra Palace here on Monday.

Ding, who won the event in 2011, took the first frame with a break of 66 and added the second with a 33 clearance after Lisowski had broken down when leading 49-40. Frame three came down to a long safety battle on the pink and Ding converted excellent pots on the pink and black for 3-0.

The Chinese super star fought back from behind in the fourth, clearing from green to black to snatch it by a point.

World number eight Ding made a 123 to lead 5-0. Lisowski, ranked 16th in the world, made it 5-1 with a break of 60, but Ding sealed the victory in the seventh without giving Lisowski any more chances.

Ding said: "I played well today and I was also more lucky. I have been training well in the past week and also training happily."

"Jack was under more pressure than me, so he made more mistakes. When it's your first time here you really want to get in front so the first frame was important. The chances were always there but he didn't take them and sometimes you get punished."

It was just Ding's second win since the tournament moved to Alexandra Palace in 2012.

"I believe I can do well at this venue for the next few seasons. It's a good start."

He will next take on Belgium's Luca Brecel Thursday night. World number 14 Brecel shocked defending champion Mark Allen in the opening match on Sunday.

"For me, no matter how I play, I just want to win," Ding said. "The Masters is only 16 players. They're all good and there are no easy games. Even if your opponent's not playing well it's still a hard game. Concentration is the first thing."