 Ding at the2025 Masters | |
| Born | (1987-04-01)1 April 1987 (age 38) Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  China |
| Nickname | The Dragon[1] |
| Professional | 2003–present |
| Highestranking | 1 (December 2014, January–February 2015) |
| Current ranking | 8 (as of 9 November 2025) |
| Maximum breaks | 7 |
| Century breaks | 718 (as of 23 November 2025) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 15 |
| Minor-ranking | 4 |
| Ding Junhui | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 丁俊晖 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 丁俊暉 | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Ding Junhui (Chinese:丁俊晖; born 1 April 1987) is a Chinese professionalsnooker player. He is the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, he has won 15 major ranking titles, including threeUK Championships (2005,2009,2019), and in 2014, became the first Asian world number one. He has twice reached the final of theMasters, winning once in2011. In 2016, he became the first Asian player to reach the final of theWorld Championship.
Ding began playing snooker at age nine and rose to international prominence in 2002 after winning theAsian Under-21 Championship and theAsian Championship. At age 15, he became the youngest winner of theIBSF World Under-21 Championship. In 2003, Ding turned professional at the age of 16. His first major professional successes came in 2005 when he won theChina Open and the UK Championship, becoming the first player from outsideGreat Britain andIreland to win the title.
During his career, he has compiled 700century breaks, including sevenmaximum breaks, in professional play. He is the only Asian player to be ranked world number one, which he first achieved in 2014 to become the 11th player to reach the top spot. He is a long-time resident ofSheffield, England, and owns the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy in the same city.
Ding Junhui was born on 1 April 1987, inYixing, Jiangsu.[2] At eight years old, Ding accompanied his father, apool enthusiast, who wanted to practice with a local pool expert. When his father went for a toilet break, Ding took the cue and played with the professional. Ding won the game before his father returned. Since then, Ding's parents supported him incue sports training, particularlysnooker.[3] At age nine, he was taken by his father to the training centre of the Chinese national snooker team nearShanghai and persuaded his mother to sell their home and grocery business so Ding could continue playing snooker as a career.[4] The family moved toDongguan,Guangdong, and Ding left formal education at age 11 to practice snooker for eight hours each day.[3]
Ding rose to international prominence in 2002 at age 15, when he won theAsian Under-21 Championship, theAsian Championship, and became the youngest ever winner of theIBSF World Under-21 Championship.[5] He was unable to progress much in 2003 when both Asian tournaments were canceled because of the2002–03 SARS virus outbreak, but he reached the semi-finals of the IBSF World Under-21 Championship, and theWorld Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) awarded him a concession to play on the main snooker tour, which enabled him to turn professional in September 2003.[5] In the same year, Ding became the number-one-ranked player in China.[6]
In February 2004, Ding was awarded a wildcard entry to theMasters held in London. In the wildcard round, he beat the world number 16 playerJoe Perry.[7] In the first round, he lost 5–6 toStephen Lee after leading 5–2.[8] In April 2005, Ding celebrated his 18th birthday by reaching the final of theChina Open inBeijing, defeating world top 16 ranked playersPeter Ebdon,Marco Fu, andKen Doherty. In the final, Ding beat the world number threeStephen Hendry by 9–5 to win his first ranking tournament. The match was watched by 110 million people on China's national sports channelCCTV-5; it was the largest television audience recorded for a snooker match.[9] In December 2005, Ding beatJimmy White,Paul Hunter, and Joe Perry to reach the final of theUK Championship. In the final, he beatSteve Davis by 10–6 to become the first player from outside the UK to win the tournament.[10] Ding'sprovisional world ranking rose from 62 at the start of the2005–06 season to 27 at the end of the season.[11][12]
At the2006 China Open, Ding lost 2–6 in the semi-finals to eventual winnerMark Williams.[13] During theNorthern Ireland Trophy event, he beat Stephen Lee 6–1 in the semi-finals. In the final, Ding defeatedRonnie O'Sullivan 9–6 to win his third ranking tournament, becoming the third person under 20 to do so after O'Sullivan andJohn Higgins.[14][15] In December 2006, Ding won three gold medals at the2006 Asian Games, winning the single, double, and team snooker competitions.[16] The following week, he reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 UK Championship as the defending champion, but lost 5–9 to his practice partner and eventual winner Peter Ebdon.[17] Ding ended the2006–07 season ranked world number nine, which was his first top-ten placement.[12]
In January 2007, Ding defeatedCao Xinlong 5–4 to reach the final of the Chinese National Championship in his home town of Yixing, Jiangsu. He defeatedXiao Guodong in the final by 6–2 to become the national champion again.[18] On 14 January, Ding made a147 break in his first-round match againstAnthony Hamilton at theMasters, which was Ding's first maximum break and the first maximum break made at the competition sinceKirk Stevens' in 1984.[19] The break made Ding the youngest player to make a televised 147—a record previously held by Ronnie O'Sullivan—and the first Chinese player to make a televised maximum.[19] Ding played O'Sullivan in the final, becoming the second-youngest player and the first Asian player to reach a Masters' final.[20]
After Ding won the first two frames, O'Sullivan went on to dominate the match. This, along with the boisterous and hostile nature of the London crowd, led Ding to leave the table in tears during the twelfth frame when he was trailing 3–8 in the best-of-19-frames contest. Ding appeared resigned to defeat, taking little time to consider his shot selection, and shook hands with O'Sullivan after the frame. O'Sullivan consoled Ding and they walked arm-in-arm to the backstage area. Because it was the last frame before the mid-session interval, it was uncertain whether Ding had conceded the match. O'Sullivan won the match in the first frame after the interval; Ding later said he thought the match was a "best of 17".[20][21][22]
Ding was defeated in the first round of the next two consecutive tournaments, losing 2–5 toStephen Maguire in the2007 Malta Cup[23] and 1–5 toJamie Cope in theWelsh Open.[24] In March 2007, Ding qualified for the televised stages of theWorld Championship for the first time after beatingMark Davis in the final qualifying round.[25] His losing streak in ranking tournaments continued, with a 3–5 loss toBarry Hawkins in the first round of the China Open and a 2–10 loss against O'Sullivan at the World Championship. Despite this, Ding ended the2006–07 season ranked world number 11.[12]
Thefollowing season, Ding was consistent, reaching the last 16 of all-but-one ranking event. However, he failed to reach a single semi-final, causing him to drop to number 13 in theworld rankings.[12] At the2008 World Snooker Championship, Ding reached the second round for the first time, beating Marco Fu 10–9 before losing 7–13 to Stephen Hendry. During the2007 Premier League Snooker, Ding recorded 495 unanswered points (most points without reply) against Stephen Hendry, setting a record for the most unanswered points in any professional snooker tournament.[26] The record was surpassed in 2014 when Ronnie O'Sullivan recorded 556 unanswered points againstRicky Walden.[27]
Ding started the2008–09 season on a high, winning theJiangsu Classic after beatingRyan Day 4–0 in the semi-final andMark Selby 6–5 in the final.[28] In October, he participated in the third event of theWorld Series of Snooker. Ding won the event after defeating Ken Doherty 6–4 in the final.[29] In the fourth event in November, Ding defeated Mark Selby 4–2 in the semi-final, before losing 0–5 to John Higgins in the final.[30] On 16 December, in his second-round match against John Higgins at the2008 UK Championship, Ding scored a maximum 147 break in the third frame.[31]
Ding began the 2009/2010 season by reaching the quarter-finals of theShanghai Masters. He reached the final of theGrand Prix by defeatingMatthew Stevens 5–4 in the first round, Stephen Maguire 5–1 in the second round, Peter Ebdon 5–2 in the quarter-finals, and Mark Williams 6–1 in the semi-finals, losing 4–9 toNeil Robertson in the final.[32] At the2009 UK Championship, Ding reached the final after defeating Mike Dunn 9–5, Shaun Murphy 9–3, Ali Carter 9–8, and Stephen Maguire 9–5.[33] He went on to defeat John Higgins 10–8 in the final to win his second UK title.[34]
After losing against Mark Selby 1–6 at theMasters and Jamie Cope 3–5 at theWelsh Open, Ding returned to form, scoring nine century breaks on his way to the final of theChina Open. He lost 6–10 to Mark Williams despite leading 5–4 at the end of the first session.[35] At theWorld Championship, Ding defeatedStuart Pettman 10–1 in the first round.[36] He lost 10–13 againstShaun Murphy in the second round.[37] Ding ended the season ranked world number five, an increase of eight places from the previous season.[12]
At the2010 Wuxi Classic, Ding lost 8–9 in the final despite leading 8–2.[38] Ding reached the second round of theShanghai Masters and the quarter-finals of theWorld Open, where he lost 1–5 to Jamie Cope and 2–3 to Mark Williams.[39][40] Ding failed to defend his2010 UK Championship title, losing 8–9 againstMark Allen.[41] In January 2011, Ding reached his secondMasters final, beating Jamie Cope 6–3 in the semi-final. Ding won the Masters for the first time, beating Marco Fu 10–4 in the first-ever all-Chinese Masters final.[42][43]
Ding had a career-best run at the2011 World Snooker Championship. He beatJamie Burnett 10–2 in the first round, advancing to the last 16 of the World Championship for the fourth consecutive year.[44] He playedStuart Bingham in the second round; he was losing 9–12 with his opponent needing one frame for victory but Ding made a comeback, winning four consecutive frames to win 13–12 and reach the quarter-finals of the world championship for the first time in his career.[45] In his quarter-final with Mark Selby, Ding led 10–6 after the first two sessions of the match. Selby built strong momentum by winning the first four frames of the last session to level at 10–10. Ding won the match 13–10 to set up a semi-final againstJudd Trump.[46] In their semi-final, Ding and Trump were level at 12–12 after the third session. In the last session, Trump built momentum and led 14–12 but Ding won the next three frames with a 138 break to tie Mark King for highest tournament break and a 119 break. Ding lost the next three frames and lost the match 15–17.[47] He ended the season with a career-high ranking of world number four.[12]
At the2011 Wuxi Classic, Ding lost 5–6 to Mark Selby in the semi-finals,[48] failing to reach the tournament's final for the first time.[49] At theWorld Cup, Ding andLiang Wenbo partnered to represent China. They won the final, 4–2, against Northern Ireland.[50] Ding lost 2–5 against Stuart Bingham in the first round of theAustralian Goldfields Open.[51] At thesecond event of thePlayers Tour Championship, Ding reached the final but lost 0–4 against Judd Trump.[52] Ding was knocked out by Neil Robertson 6–2 in the quarter-finals of the2011 UK Championship.[53] Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Ding in theMasters for the third time in his career, losing in the first round 4–6.[54]
Ding beat Mark Selby in the 2012 Welsh Open to win his fifth ranking tournament and £30,000.[55] Ding's form continued. He won the2012 Championship League tournament and a place in the2012 Premier League.[56] Ding reached the semi-finals of theChina Open but was eliminated after losing 3–6 to eventual winner Peter Ebdon.[57] Ding ended the season with a defeat in the first round of theWorld Championship, losing 9–10 to Ryan Day having had a 9–6 lead. After the match, Ding criticised the condition of the tables at the event and the attitude of the audience, saying both were "rubbish".[58] He finished the year ranked world number 11, having dropped seven places during the season.[12]
_2013-01-30_07.jpg)
Ding did not progress past the second round of the first six ranking events of the2012–13 season and found himself ranked world number 11 in December.[59][60] He won the minor-rankingScottish Open, defeatingAnthony McGill in the final.[61] Ding's form then improved; at theWelsh Open, he beatMark King, Mark Allen, andRobert Milkins to reach the semi-finals, where he was beaten 5–6 by Stuart Bingham.[62] At theWorld Open, he was defeated 0–5 by John Higgins in the quarter-finals.[59] His title at the Scottish Open formed part of thePlayers Tour Championship events. Ding finished sixth on theorder of merit to qualify for the finals.[63]
At the finals, Ding made the fifth 147 of his career in the first frame of his quarter-final against Allen and made two more century breaks in a 4–3 win.[64] He beatKurt Maflin 4–0 in the semi-finals; in the final, he recovered from 0–3 against Neil Robertson to take his sixth ranking title with a 4–3 win.[65] Ding made eight century breaks in the 20 frames he won during the tournament; no other player scored more than one.[66] His poor form in tournaments played in China continued; he was beaten 3–5 by Barry Hawkins in the first round of theChina Open.[67] Ding beat veteranAlan McManus 10–5 in the first round of theWorld Championship and recovered from 2–6 after the first session against Mark King in the second round to lead 9–7 after the next session and won 13–9.[59][68] Ding faced Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals and played inconsistently throughout the match, losing 7–13.[69] His end-of-season world ranking was 10.[12]
In the second round of the2013 Wuxi Classic, Ding lost 1–5 to Joe Perry. At the minor-rankingBluebell Wood Open, he made a rare 146 break while beatingJimmy Robertson in the quarter-finals before losing 3–4 to Marco Fu in the semi-finals.[70] In September 2013, Ding won his seventh ranking event title at theShanghai Masters. The final against Xiao Guodong was the first all-Chinese final of a ranking event in the history of snooker. Ding made a century break and seven more breaks above 50 to win 10–6.[71] He then played at theRuhr Open, a minor-ranking event, losing 1–4 to Mark Allen in the final.[72]
Following that, Ding played in the firstIndian Open, defeatingAditya Mehta 5–0 in the final to become the first player to win back-to-back major-ranking event titles in the same season since Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2003.[73] Ding continued dominating the game in the following major ranking event, theInternational Championship, where he beatGraeme Dott 9–7 in the semi-finals with a 63-point clearance in the last frame.[74] In the final—the second all-Chinese ranking event final in three ranking events—Ding and Marco Fu compiled seven century breaks; Ding five and Fu two. Ding rallied from 8–9 down to win the final two frames and became the first player to win three consecutive major-ranking events since Stephen Hendry won five consecutively in 1990.[75]
After his hat-trick, Ding reached world number three in the rankings for the first time in his career, before reaching number two just behind Neil Robertson. Ding won two more ranking titles; theGerman Masters, beating Judd Trump 9–5 in the final, and theChina Open by beating Robertson 10–5 in the final to equal Hendry's season record of five wins.[76][77] He was also the runner-up in theWelsh Open to Ronnie O'Sullivan.[78] At theWorld Championship, however, Ding was defeated by world number 75Michael Wasley 10–9 in the first round, which Ding had led 6–3 and 9–8.[79] Ding finished the season ranked world number two—a career high—and was held off the number-one spot by Mark Selby, who won the World Championship.[12] Ding was fined £5,000 and referred to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee by the WSL for failing to attend their awards dinner.[80]
At the start of the2014–15 season, Ding failed to qualify for the televised stages of the2014 Wuxi Classic, losing 0–5 toOliver Brown in the qualifiers.[81] Ding, however, then won theYixing Open with a 4–2 victory overMichael Holt in the final.[82] At theShanghai Masters, he was defeated 6–4 by Stuart Bingham in the semi-finals after losing the last four frames of the match.[83] Ronnie O'Sullivan eliminated Ding 6–4 in the semi-finals of theChampion of Champions.[84]
_2015-02-05_05.jpg)
In the third round of the2014 UK Championship, Ding fought from 1–5 down to send his match againstJames Cahill to a deciding frame. Ding recovered from needing three snookers in the tenth frame when world 100-ranked Cahill left a free ball. In the final frame, however, Ding missed a red when on a break of 32, which allowed Cahill a chance to knock him out, which he did.[85] Despite the loss, Ding became the 11th world number one and first from Asia thanks to early eliminations of Mark Selby and Neil Robertson.[86]
Ding held the top spot for a week before Robertson reclaimed it.[87] Ding's poor form continued into 2015 as he was eliminated in the first round in six successive events: 3–6 to Joe Perry at theMasters; 4–5 to Ryan Day at theGerman Masters; 1–4 to world number 115Lee Walker at theWelsh Open; 3–4 toThepchaiya Un-Nooh at theIndian Open; 1–4 to Ricky Walden at theWorld Grand Prix; and 1–4 to Joe Perry at the2015 Players Championship Grand Final.[88][89] His form improved at theChina Open as he defeatedMarcus Campbell and Mark Davis—both 5–1—and Mark Williams 5–2 to reach the quarter-finals, where he beat John Higgins 5–4 on the colours.[90] In Ding's second ranking-event semi-final of the season, he tied the scores at 5–5 after being 3–5 down to world number 56Gary Wilson but lost the deciding frame.[91]
In the opening rounds of theWorld Championship, Ding came back from 0–4 down against Mark Davis to win 10–7 and from 1–5 down against John Higgins to win 13–9.[92][93] Ding lost the first six frames of his quarter-final match against Judd Trump and was beaten 13–4.[94] He ended the season ranked world number four.[12]
In the quarter-finals of theShanghai Masters, Ding lost 4–5 on the final black toKyren Wilson.[95] Ding won theHaining Open, defeating Ricky Walden 4–3 in the final. It was Ding's first title carrying ranking points in 16 months.[96] In the main ranking events, he was knocked out in the second round of theInternational Championship and in the first round of the2015 UK Championship by amateur playerAdam Duffy. After losing to Duffy, Ding's press conference, during which he swore and criticised the conditions at the event, lasted less than one minute.[97] He also failed to qualify for theGerman Masters and was knocked out in the first round of theMasters by Stuart Bingham.[98]
Ding made the sixth 147 break of his career in the quarter-finals of theWelsh Open against Neil Robertson. Ding also made a 120 but these were the only frames he won and he was defeated 5–2.[99]At theWorld Grand Prix, Ding beatBen Woollaston 4–3, Peter Ebdon 4–0, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4–3 to reach his first semi-final of the season against Shaun Murphy, which he lost 3–6.[98] In the quarter-finals of thePTC Finals, Ding was defeated 4–2 by Barry Hawkins and he lost 1–5 to Lee Walker in theChina Open qualifying.[100] Ding, who had won five ranking events two seasons before, had left the world's top 16 and needed to qualify for theWorld Championship. He did so by winning three matches, conceding seven frames. He compiled his 400th century break of his career during this run. Ding beatMartin Gould by 10–8 and Judd Trump by 13–10 in the first and second rounds, respectively.[101] He defeated Mark Williams 13–3 in the quarter-finals and Alan McManus 17–11 in the semi-final, during which he set a new record of seven century breaks, the most scored by a single player in a World Championship match at theCrucible Theatre. With this victory, Ding became the first Asian player to reach the final of the World Championship.[102][103] He made 15 century breaks during the championship, one short of the record of 16 set by Stephen Hendry in the 2002 Championship. Ding lost the final 14–18 to Mark Selby.[104] His end-of-season world ranking was nine.[12]
Ding won the2016 Six-red World Championship, beating Stuart Bingham on the final black in the final by 8–7.[105] Ding won his secondShanghai Masters title, defeating Mark Selby 10–6 in the final. It was the 12th ranking-tournament win of his career and he also became the first player to win the event twice.[106] Ding defeated John Higgins 6–2 and Judd Trump 9–4 to reach the final of theInternational Championship, where he made a high break of 47 but Mark Selby won the last seven frames to beat him 10–1.[107] In the semi-finals of the2016 Champion of Champions, Ding made four centuries but was beaten 6–5 by Higgins.[108] He lost 2–6 toJamie Jones in the third round of theUK Championship.[109] In the first round of thePlayers Championship, Ding recovered from being 0–4 down to Higgins to win 5–4. He then defeated Anthony Hamilton 5–2.[110] Ding was 5–3 up against Marco Fu in the semi-finals but lost the match 5–6.[111]
Ding was eliminated from theChina Open in the quarter-finals after losing 1–5 to Kyren Wilson.[112] At theWorld Championship, Ding beatZhou Yuelong in the first round by 10–5 and, after leading 6–2 and 9–7, Liang Wenbo was leading Ding 13–11 in the second round. Ding made a 132 break to level the match and a 70 in the decider to progress with a score of 13–12.[113] He played Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals. Despite a career-record ten losses and two wins prior to the match, Ding won 13–10.[114][115] In his semi-final with Mark Selby, Ding made two consecutive centuries to end the third session at 12–12. He won two frames from 16 to 13 down but missed a blue in the next frame and lost 15–17. Ding said his game would continue to improve as he had played with more confidence and aggression throughout the event.[116] He ended the season ranked world number four.[12]
At the2017 World Cup, Ding and China's number-two player, Liang Wenbo, defeated the English pair, Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins, in a deciding frame, winning the event 4–3.[117] Ding led the Chinese team at theCVB Snooker Challenge, losing 9–26 to the British team. He lost 1–6 to the captain of the British team, Ronnie O'Sullivan.[118] He then participated in the secondChina Championship but was defeated in a 5–0 whitewash to Alan McManus in the last 32 in a rematch of the semi-finals of the 2015 World Championship.[119] As the defendingSix-red World Champion, Ding lost 1–6 to Marco Fu in the last 16.[120] Ding won theWorld Open, beatingLuca Brecel 6–4 in the semi-finals and Kyren Wilson 10–3 in the final.[121]
In 2018, Ding returned to form and reached the final of the World Grand Prix, where he won a 6–5 victory over Mark Selby in the semi-final.[122] Ding struggled in the final, losing 3–10 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.[123] He finished the season ranked world number six.[12]
At the2018 Six-red World Championship, Ding defeated Luca Brecel 7–6 in the semi-final, but lost 4–8 to Kyren Wilson in the final.[124] At the2018 Shanghai Masters, he won his second round match 6–3 against Mark Allen. He then beat Mark Selby 6–5 in the quarter-final, before losing 9–10 to Barry Hawkins in the semi-final.[125]
In January 2019, Ding participated in theMasters, beatingJack Lisowski 6–1 in the first round and Luca Brecel 6–5 in the quarter-final. He lost 3–6 to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final.[126] At the2019 German Masters, Ding defeatedFergal O'Brien 5–3 in the last 32 and Xiao Guodong 5–4 in the last 16. However, he lost 3–5 toDuane Jones in the quarter-final.[127] At the2019 World Snooker Championship, Ding beat Anthony McGill 10–7 in the first round, but lost 9–13 to Judd Trump in the second round.[128] His end-of-season world ranking was ten.[12]
In the2019–20 season, Ding and compatriotYan Bingtao participated in theWorld Cup.[129] They beatAndy Lee andCheung Ka Wai 4–0 in the quarter-finals, before losing 1–4 in the semi-finals to eventual winners John Higgins and Stephen Maguire.[130] Ding reached the quarter-finals of the2019 International Championship.[131] At the2019 Six-red World Championship, he reached the quarter-finals, losing to Gary Wilson after a 5–4 lead.[132]
At the2019 UK Championship, Ding beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 6–4 in the last 16.[133] He defeated Liang Wenbo in the quarter-finals and Yan Bingtao in the semi-finals, both by 6–2.[133][134] In the final, Ding beat Stephen Maguire 10–6, clinching his third UK title and his first since 2009. His win made him the fifth player to win the UK title three or more times, and it was his first ranking event win since 2017.[135] Throughout the competition, Ding compiled ten century breaks, including four during the final.[135][136] Following the event, his ranking increased seven spots to ninth.[135] Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ding did not participate at another event until the2020 World Snooker Championship. At the World Championship, Ding led Mark King 9–7 in their first round match before King won two 50-minute frames to level the match at 9–9 and send it into a decider. Ding won the deciding frame to progress 10–9 where he would face O'Sullivan in round two. After two very tight sessions, the players were tied at 4–4 and then 8–8 going into the third and final session. O'Sullivan proved too strong in the third session and Ding eventually lost the match 10–13.
Ding's best performances during the2020–21 season were reaching the quarter-finals of four ranking tournaments as well as the quarter-finals of theChampion of Champions.[137] His season ended with a 9–10 loss toStuart Bingham in the first round of the2021 World Snooker Championship.[138] By late 2021, he had won just one ranking event in the previous four years, had missed many tournaments through choice or circumstance, and had struggled to practice while spending long stretches of time in China during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[139] After he lost 3–6 to world number 55Sam Craigie in the last 64 of the2021 UK Championship, he fell out of the top 16 in the world rankings, meaning that he did not qualify for theMasters for the first time since he was 18 years old in 2006.[139] Speaking onBBC Two after Ding's loss to Craigie, seven-time world championStephen Hendry expressed concern about Ding's future in the sport: "I don't know what has happened to Ding. I don't know whether we have seen the best of him. He looks like he doesn't really care that much anymore... Any pressure balls he does not look like getting anymore. I don't know where Ding goes from here."[140] After Ding lost 3–4 to world number 65Zhang Anda in the qualifying round of theScottish Open, punditAlan McManus echoed Hendry's concerns, stating that Ding had "big problems to fix."[141] In January 2022, Ding was ranked 30th in the world, was 68th on the one-year ranking list, and had fallen to become China's fourth-ranked player, behindZhao Xintong,Yan Bingtao, andZhou Yuelong.[142]
Ding beat compatriotTian Pengfei 6–4 andDavid Lilley 10–7 in the third and final qualifying rounds of the2022 World Championship but lost 8–10 toKyren Wilson in the first round, showing signs of frustration during the match.[143][144] It was Ding's 16th consecutive year at the Crucible.[145][146]
Before the2022 UK Championship, Ding had fallen to 38th in the world rankings and had to win two qualifying matches to reach the tournament's main stage. However, Ding reached his first ranking final in three years with wins, including a 6–0 whitewash of world number one O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals. Ding lost 7–10 toMark Allen in the final, despite having led 6–1. As runner-up, he advanced from 38th to 19th place in the world rankings.[147] A return to form at the2023 UK Championship saw Ding secure a 6–5 victory overMark Williams in the quarter-final, which marked his return to the top 16 in the rankings and a spot at the2024 Masters.[148] Ding reached the final of that UK Championship, where he lost 7–10 toRonnie O'Sullivan.[149] One month later he faced O'Sullivan again in the first round of the Masters. He made a 147 break in the seventh frame of the match, accounting for two of the only four maximums during the 50-year history of the Masters. Ding, however, was ultimately beaten 3–6.[150] Ding's 10–7 victory overChris Wakelin in the final of the2024 International Championship in China was his first ranking title win since 2019, and his fifteenth overall.[151] At the2025 Masters, Ding defeated Mark Williams 6–5 in the first round[152] but was then beaten 3–6 byJudd Trump in the quarter-final.[153]
Beginning with the2024 Players Championship in February 2024, 22 consecutive tournaments in which Ding participated featured a pattern that came to be known as the "Ding Junhui curse" or the "Ding curse". In these events, every player who defeated Ding lost in the next round.[154][155][156][157]Stan Moody ended the so-called "curse" at the2025 Wuhan Open in August 2025 when he defeated Ding in the last 64 and then beatZhou Yuelong in the last 32.[158][159]
Ding won three consecutive ranking tournaments in 2013. InTriple Crown events, he has reached the World Championship finals once, becoming the first Asian player to reach the final of the World Championship in 2016 before losing 14–18 to Mark Selby.[103][104] He has reached the finals of the UK Championship five times, winning in 2005, 2009, 2019 and losing in 2022 and 2023.[10][34][135][147] He has made two appearances in the Masters' final, losing in 2007 and winning in 2011.[20][43]
During his professional playing career, Ding has compiled more than 600 competitive century breaks and seven 147 maximum breaks in professional competition. His first maximum break came at the 2007 Masters at the age of 19 years and seven months, making Ding the youngest player to have made a televised 147. Ding's second maximum break came at the 2008 UK Championship. His third came in the first round of theFFB Snooker Open in 2011.[160] Two days later, he compiled his fourth maximum in a 4–1 victory against James Cahill. The fifth maximum came in his quarter-final of the2013 PTC Finals against Mark Allen.[161] On 19 February 2016, he made his sixth maximum against Neil Robertson in the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open.[162] Ding made his 7th maximum against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the 2024 Masters.
Ding enrolled atShanghai Jiao Tong University in 2006 to studyBusiness Administration andManagement.[163] He is a long-time resident ofSheffield, England.[164] He practices at theEnglish Institute of Sport in Sheffield.[165][166] Ding is a patron ofSheffield United F.C.[167]
In 2014, Ding married Zhang Yuanyuan, also known as Apple Zhang. The couple's daughter was born in August 2018.[168] Ding's mother, Chen Xijuan, died from cancer in January 2017, aged 55.[169]
A 26-episode cartoon series,Dragon Ball No.1, by Beijing-based D5 Studio, which is based on Ding's growth from a shy boy to a snooker star, was broadcast on Chinese television in 2010.[170]
| Tournaments | 2001/ 02 | 2003/ 04 | 2004/ 05 | 2005/ 06 | 2006/ 07 | 2007/ 08 | 2008/ 09 | 2009/ 10 | 2010/ 11 | 2011/ 12 | 2012/ 13 | 2013/ 14 | 2014/ 15 | 2015/ 16 | 2016/ 17 | 2017/ 18 | 2018/ 19 | 2019/ 20 | 2020/ 21 | 2021/ 22 | 2022/ 23 | 2023/ 24 | 2024/ 25 | 2025/ 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rankings[nb 1] | [nb 2] | [nb 3] | 76 | 62 | 27 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | A | A | A | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia Masters | Tournament Not Held | 5R | 6R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuhan Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 3R | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English Open | Tournament Not Held | 3R | 2R | A | 1R | 4R | 3R | 2R | QF | A | 3R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open | A | LQ | 3R | Tournament Not Held | A | 2R | 3R | LQ | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xi'an Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | LQ | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | A | A | 1R | QF | A | 1R | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Championship | Tournament Not Held | 2R | W | LQ | 2R | F | 1R | 3R | QF | Not Held | QF | W | 3R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | A | LQ | 1R | W | QF | QF | 2R | W | 2R | QF | 1R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 4R | W | 2R | 2R | F | F | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot Out | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | A | A | A | A | A | WD | 1R | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open[nb 4] | A | 2R | Tournament Not Held | MR | Not Held | A | 3R | 4R | 3R | QF | LQ | 2R | 2R | 3R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters | Tournament Not Held | QF | 1R | 2R | W | 1R | LQ | A | QF | QF | 1R | QF | LQ | LQ | LQ | WD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | NR | SF | 2R | F | 2R | 1R | 2R | DNQ | 2R | SF | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players Championship[nb 5] | Tournament Not Held | DNQ | 2R | W | 1R | 1R | QF | SF | QF | DNQ | 1R | 1R | DNQ | 1R | 1R | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | A | LQ | 1R | LQ | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | QF | W | SF | F | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Open[nb 6] | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | RR | RR | QF | F | QF | 1R | QF | 3R | Not Held | 2R | W | 2R | 3R | Not Held | F | 3R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Championship | Tournament Not Held | DNQ | WD | DNQ | DNQ | SF | QF | SF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | SF | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | F | SF | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | SF | 2R | Not Held | 2R | QF | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion of Champions | Tournament Not Held | QF | SF | A | SF | 1R | QF | A | QF | 1R | A | QF | 1R | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riyadh Season Championship[nb 7] | Tournament Not Held | 2R | QF | 2R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | A | 1R | QF | LQ | F | QF | QF | 1R | W | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | 1R | A | A | 1R | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | A | RR | RR | RR | W | SF | A | A | A | A | A | RR | A | A | RR | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | NR | LQ | LQ | NH | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Not Held | NR | W | 3R | 2R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuxi Classic[nb 8] | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | 1R | 2R | LQ | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | W | SF | QF | W | WD | Non-Ranking | Not Held | Non-Ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Open | Tournament Not Held | W | 1R | NH | A | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open | WR | NH | W | SF | 1R | 2R | 1R | F | SF | SF | 1R | W | SF | LQ | QF | 3R | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Championship | Tournament Not Held | NR | 2R | 2R | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkish Masters | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gibraltar Open | Tournament Not Held | MR | 2R | WD | A | A | 1R | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WST Classic | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Masters[nb 9] | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | NR | Tournament Not Held | WD | A | A | 2R | QF | A | A | A | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Champions v Asia Stars | Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Euro-Asia Masters Challenge | NH | RR | SF | Not Held | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Cup[nb 9] | Ranking Event | SF | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Huangshan Cup | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Warsaw | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Moscow | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Grand Final | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hainan Classic | Tournament Not Held | RR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuxi Classic[nb 8] | Tournament Not Held | W | F | F | SF | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Snooker | Tournament Not Held | F | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League Snooker | A | A | A | SF | RR | SF | RR | A | RR | F | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot Out | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Six-red World Championship[nb 10] | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | 2R | W | 2R | F | QF | Not Held | W | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) | QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
| NH / Not Held | means an event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking Event | means an event is/was a ranking event. | |||
| MR / Minor-Ranking Event | means an event is/was a minor-ranking event. | |||
| PA / Pro-am Event | means an event is/was a pro-am event. | |||
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (0–1) |
| UK Championship (3–2) |
| Other (12–6) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2010 | Players Tour Championship – Event 5 |  Jamie Jones | 4–1 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2011 | Players Tour Championship – Event 2 |  Judd Trump | 0–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2012 | Asian Players Tour Championship – Event 2 | Stephen Lee | 0–4 |
| Winner | 2. | 2012 | Scottish Open |  Anthony McGill | 4–2 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2013 | Ruhr Open |  Mark Allen | 1–4 |
| Winner | 3. | 2014 | Yixing Open | Michael Holt | 4–2 |
| Winner | 4. | 2015 | Haining Open | Ricky Walden | 4–3 |
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (1–1) |
| Premier League (0–1) |
| Other (5–6) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2005 | World Games | Gerard Greene | 3–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2007 | The Masters | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 3–10 |
| Winner | 1. | 2008 | Jiangsu Classic | Mark Selby | 6–5 |
| Winner | 2. | 2008 | World Series of Snooker Warsaw |  Ken Doherty | 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2008 | World Series of Snooker Moscow | John Higgins | 0–5 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2009 | Jiangsu Classic | Mark Allen | 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 2010 | Wuxi Classic(2) | Shaun Murphy | 8–9 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 2010 | Power Snooker | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 258–572 (points) |
| Winner | 3. | 2011 | The Masters |  Marco Fu | 10–4 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 2011 | Premier League | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 1–7 |
| Winner | 4. | 2012 | Championship League | Judd Trump | 3–1 |
| Winner | 5. | 2016 | Six-red World Championship | Stuart Bingham | 8–7 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 2018 | Six-red World Championship | Kyren Wilson | 4–8 |
| Winner | 6. | 2023 | Six-red World Championship(2) |  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh | 8–6 |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2011 | World Cup | China | Northern Ireland | 4–2 |
| Winner | 2. | 2017 | World Cup(2) | China A | England | 4–3 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2017 | CVB Snooker Challenge | China |  Great Britain | 9–26 |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2002 | Asian Games | Supoj Saenla | 3–1 |
| Winner | 2. | 2006 | Asian Games(2) | Liang Wenbo | 4–2 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2010 | Asian Games | Marco Fu | 2–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2013 | Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games | Cao Yupeng | 2–4 |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2002 | ACBS Asian Under-21 Championship | Pramual Janthad | 6–2 |
| Winner | 2. | 2002 | IBSF World Under-21 Championship | David John | 11–9 |
| Winner | 3. | 2002 | ACBS Asian Championship |  Keith E. Boon | 8–1 |
Current number one is marked in italic. |
