XI'AN, China, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Snooker star Ding Junhui reached the quarterfinals of the World Snooker Xi'an Grand Prix after smashing Oliver Lines 5-1 here on Friday, setting up a clash against Shaun Murphy on Saturday.
Ding achieved breaks of 63 and 134 to win the first two frames consecutively. The players then won a frame each, with Ding taking a 3-1 lead before the intermission.
Then Ding notched breaks of 83, 121 respectively in the following two frames, eliminating the world No.64 from the tournament.
"My physical condition is good, and my performance has been stable in these rounds. I think I'm playing better than in the last two days," said 38-year-old Ding. "The home crowd gives Chinese players great support and encouragement, helping us stay focused and execute our shots well."
Facing Kyren Wilson, Murphy secured an easy 5-0 victory and almost left his world champion rival without a single point in the match. In the fifth frame, after Murphy made a break of 101, he ended the game with an intentional foul, awarding Wilson six points. In fact, if Murphy had scored 15 more points, he would have set a consecutive personal scoring record in snooker ranking events.
"It is a great feeling, that are the moments that we put the practice for," Murphy told Xinhua.
"If I could play like that every day, I will be a very happy person," the Englishman added.
Chinese rising star He Guoqiang started aggressively in the first frame against Gary Wilson, but Wilson regained control after setting up a strong defense. The 2025 Wuhan Open runner-up then took charge, winning five consecutive frames and eliminating the 25-year-old He from the tournament.
"I could have won the first frame, it was a pity that I failed to win any frame," He said. "I beat Neil Robertson and reached the last 16 round in Xi'an. For me, the result is a millstone."
Also on Friday, Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Jak Jones 5-1, Daniel Wells won over Robert Milkins 5-2, Liam Pullen saw off Aaron Hill 5-1, Mark Williams scored a 5-4 comeback win against Barry Hawkins.
The tournament will conclude on October 13. Enditem