Ding Adds Name to PTC Winners List
Ding Junhui added his, to the list of big name winners of Players Tour Championship events by beating Jamie Jones by four-frames-to-one in the final of Event 5 in Sheffield.
Sixteen players made up the field on finals day with a mixture of established stars, journeymen professionals and up-and-coming talent.
First up for Ding was 2002 world champion, Peter Ebdon who forced a deciding frame before the Chinese number one snatched victory.
Neil Robertson and Mark Williams were the biggest names to fall in the first match of the day against Andrew Higginson and Northern Ireland’s Patrick Wallace.
World champion, Robertson has been given a rough ride by Higginson a number of times in the past and Widnes’ number one proved too strong on this occasion.
The two-time world champion, Williams qualified on Friday and made a mad dash return to South Wales to keep a promise to his two boys, and take them to Monster Jam at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
A late night return to Sheffield proved in vain as the former Crucible quarter-finalist won by four-frames-to-one.
In the quarter final, Ding faced a tough test against 2007 Shanghai Masters champion Dominic Dale.
Dale had beaten fellow countryman, Matthew Stevens in the last 16 but was outclassed by Ding, who was playing in familiar surroundings, having been based at the Academy since it was opened in 2007.
Ricky Walden made it through to the semi finals with wins over Allan Taylor, including a superb 135 clearance, and Rory McLeod and was joined there by Wales’ Jamie Jones.
Jones made the highest break of the tournament, 1 43 against Gerard Greene in qualifying on Friday, beat the in-form Martin Gould 4-0 and Patrick Wallace 4-3.
Higginson also made it through, beating Marco Fu four-frames-to-nil.
Jamie Jones ended the hopes of Walden with a 4-2 win whilst Ding started to show his class winning 4-1 against Higginson.
After Ding took the opening frame of the final, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Welsh youngster, and the Chinese number one joined the likes of Mark Williams, Mark Selby, and Shaun Murphy in winning a PTC event.
The win lifts Ding from number 65 in the Order of Merit into the top ten.
Barry Pinches holds onto the top spot with Williams and Selby close behind.
