On the 20th anniversary of his first ranking title, Ding Junhui enjoyed another momentous victory with a 10-5 defeat of Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals of the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship.
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Ding will now meet Mark Selby, who crushed Neil Robertson 10-1. In a week of one-sided scorelines, this was one of the heaviest defeats of Robertson's career, while Selby stepped up his bid for a fourth title of the season. In a rematch of the 2016 Crucible final, Ding and Selby will go head to head over 19 frames on Saturday.
At the 2005 China Open, Ding beat Stephen Hendry in the final, taking his first step towards superstardom. He has since become Asia's most successful ever player, with 15 ranking titles to his name, and helping snooker to become one of the most popular sports in his homeland. Now age 38, Ding is still capable of beating any opponent, as he proved at the International Championship in November when he lifted the trophy. And today he outplayed World Champion Wilson, who won his fourth title of the season at the recent Sportsbet.io Players Championship.
Breaks of 123, 73, 76, 59 and 80 helped Ding to a 7-1 first session lead. Another run of 80 gave him the first frame tonight, before Wilson took the next two. In frame 12, Ding led 63-0 when he missed a red to a centre pocket and Wilson cleared with 66 to threaten a fight back.
Ding took frame 13 for 9-4, before Wilson pulled one more back with a 106. A break of 63 put Ding in control of frame 15 and he edged over the line as Wilson's battle to gain the snookers he required ended on the green.
"Before the match there was no pressure, but tonight I really wanted to win, especially as I had a big lead," said world number nine Ding. "I missed a few chances to win so I had to really concentrate. Maybe this is my lucky day, like 20 years ago. Winning big matches and long matches builds up my confidence.
"I have played Mark many times and it is always very tough. He had a very good scoreline today. I am hitting the ball well on most shots, it's the way I like to play."
Wilson said: "I left myself with too much to do. I changed my tip before the session tonight and I was getting through the ball better. Every credit to Ding, he was fantastic this afternoon. It might be a good thing because it gives me two weeks to rest before the World Championship."
Four-time World Champion Selby looked close to his best in an outstanding display, albeit against an opponent who was suffering from illness today. Leicester's Selby is through to the semi-finals of this event for the fourth time and hopes to reach his first final.
In Wednesday's night's opening session, world number three Selby compiled breaks of 51, 69, 105, 86 and 68 in building a 7-1 lead. He needed just 42 minutes to wrap up the match tonight, adding runs of 65, 124 and 123. Selby has now made 65 centuries this season, his highest ever total.
"I am really pleased to beat Neil by any scoreline," said 43-year-old Selby, who has already won the Unibet British Open, BetVictor Championship League and BetVictor Welsh Open this season. "Last night 7-1 flattered me because there were three or four frames which could have gone either way. I just need to keep my tempo up and follow up each good performance with another one.
"It's good to see Ding playing well because he is a great lad and what he has done for us in China is incredible. We owe him a lot, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't be going out there for so many big tournaments."