Ding narrowly escapes 1st group match

China’s top seeded snooker player, Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong, faced a stern test against Aditya Meht and Pankaj Advani of India in their first group match of the 2015 Snooker World Cup.

The tournament is being held in Ding’s hometown of Wuxi, Jiangsu province, and runs from June 15 to 21.

The Chinese duo, that is looking to defend the title they won in 2011, lost the first two of five frames to India, before drawing level at 2 frames all.

The match came down to the final frame in a tense exchange between Ding and Meht. After a host of errors on both sides, and a chance to clear up the remaining colored balls by Meht, it was Ding who came through for team China to end the match 3:2, much to the relief of the home crowd.

As the host country, China has fielded two teams this year. The lesser-known China B team comprises Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao, both young players.

Speaking after the event, Ding said that he hoped the audience could give more cheers and encouragement to the young players of the China B team and he hoped that the two Chinese teams could meet in the final of the competition. He added that he cherished the chance to play for his mother country and hoped there would be more young Chinese players in future snooker events.

Former world number 1, Ding Junhui faces up against India at the 2015 Snooker World Cup, held at Wuxi Sports Park, Jiangsu province, on June 15. [Photo by Jacob Hooson provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Aditya Meht of team India attempts a shot at the 2015 Snooker World Cup on June 15 at Wuxi Sports Park in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo by Jacob Hooson provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Xiao Guodong (L) and Ding Junhui attend a post-match news conference after winning their opening match against India at the 2015 Snooker World Cup on June 15. [Photo by Jacob Hooson provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Yan Bingtao of the China B team attempts a safety shot at the 2015 Snooker World Cup in Wuxi, Jiangsu province on June 15. [Photo/Xinhua]

Zhou Yuelong (L) and Yan Bingtao of the China B team face up against the Republic of Ireland at the 2015 Snooker World Cup on June 15. [Photo/Xinhua]

Edited by Jacob Hooson