Ding Junhui came from 5-4 down to beat Mark Williams 6-5 in the opening round of the Johnstone's Paint Masters, boosting his hopes of doubling his tally of titles in snooker's biggest invitation event.
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The result means that, for the first time since 2011, none of the 'Class of 92' of Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Williams are in the line up for the quarter-final stages. In that year, Ding went all the way to the title, and the Chinese ace will hope that's a good omen. The 37-year-old certainly had his fair share of good fortune today, enjoying a string of lucky moments in the closing stages of an exciting contest.
It's the second match already this year to go to a deciding frame, and Ding finished in style by taking it in one visit. He already has a huge title under his belt this season having won the International Championship in November and can now look forward to a meeting with Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins at Alexandra Palace on Friday.
After sharing the first two frames, Williams led 41-7 in the third when he mid-cued, attempting blue to centre, and Ding punished him with 69 to go ahead. Williams responded with breaks of 57 and 70 to go 3-2 up, then Ding made 64 and 60 to edge ahead at 4-3.
A tremendous 136 total clearance, the new front-runner for the £15,000 high break prize, gave Williams frame eight. Ding looked set to go 5-4 up until he missed a straight-forward black at 66-0 in the ninth, and Williams eventually cleared from the last red to black to pinch it by a single point.
In the last two frames, Ding missed three attempts at difficult reds, but each time was lucky not to leave his opponent a clear chance. Williams twice attempted awkward reds to a centre pocket, but couldn't find the target and Ding capitalised with breaks of 76 and 90 to reach the second round for the eighth time in all and first since 2019.
Williams turns 50 in just two months and victory today would have made him the oldest winner of a match at the Masters since a 56-year-old Eddie Charlton in 1986. The Welshman said: "Ding had a hell of a run of the ball, especially in the last two frames when he could have left me in. I lost count of the number of times he held his hand up to say 'sorry', it must have been ten or 11 times. Those are the fine margins. I have had plenty of run in my time, that's the game. He still had to make two really good breaks.
"I tried my best. It's a great venue and the reception when I came in was unbelievable. I loved it, it's the best venue we play in and I hope I get back next year."
Ding said: "At 5-4 down, I missed a long red and the balls went everywhere, and I thought maybe today is done. Then I saw a bit of luck, Mark didn't have an easy one. He had to take a difficult one under pressure, and when he missed I saw my chance was there. It was the same in the last frame. My concentration and confidence was good after the interval, I didn't think too much about winning or losing.
"I still want to be the best I have ever been. I've been watching videos of myself when I was young and I am trying to get that feeling back. I used to just pot the balls without thinking too much, just playing the shots very clearly. I still struggle sometimes but I am feeling better than before."
Ding Delighted With First Round Success