Fu Ousts Ding in Guangzhou

Marco Fu recorded a terrific 6-3 win in an all Asian clash with Ding Junhui on day one of the inaugural China Championship.

There was a huge crowd in Guangzhou to witness the meeting of China and Hong Kong’s finest two players. Fu, who has yet to hit top form this season, got off to a strong start with runs of 74 and 83 helping him to claim the first three frames. However, Ding took the final frame before the mid-session to keep his hopes alive at 3-1.

Fu maintained his lead and at 5-3 up he looked set to secure the win with a run of 43. However, the Hong Kong potter missed the black to hand Ding a window of opportunity. The pair went on to miss a series of attempts, before Ding left the ball over the bottom left pocket and conceded the tie.

Fu said: “It was a good win. He is always dangerous, but he is under pressure in China. The best chance to beat Ding is always in the first round as he normally gets stronger as the event goes on. I’m very pleased to get through.”

Ali Carter defeated one of this season’s form players Judd Trump courtesy of a narrow 6-4 victory.  Both players struggled to find their best form, however it was Carter that more at ease during the tight encounter. From 3-2 down the World Open Champion Carter made breaks of 92, 77 and 53 as he moved into a 5-4 lead.

Carter then amassed a 51-point lead in the tenth frame and with Trump needing the remaining three reds and colours, he went in off on a long pot to leave himself requiring snookers. Trump showed his frustration by throwing the brown across the table and conceded victory to the world number 12.

“Judd looked a little bit out of sorts to me really,” said Carter. “I’m delighted to get the win. I was quite ill when I was in Shanghai and I’m glad I made it here and was able to convert it into a win.”

World Champion Mark Selby continued his brilliant run of form during a 6-2 defeat of Scotland’s Anthony McGill.

The world number one eased into a 4-0 lead, before McGill started to up his game. He got on the scoreboard with a contribution of 50 in the fifth frame. However, Selby instantly reasserted his dominance with a 72 break in the next. McGill made it 5-2, before Selby clinched the win thanks to a run of 80.

His opponent in the quarter-finals will be Mark Allen who overcame a stern test against Ricky Walden. With the scores locked at 4-4, Allen made consecutive breaks of 74 and 70 to power to a 6-4 win.