July 14 - Chinese snooker legend Ding Junhui failed to recover from his early poor form in the Hong Kong Snooker Championship. Two losses on Friday saw his farewell to a tournament featuring champion players from Asia and Europe.
The event was held as part of celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the city's return to China.
Ding's frustrations began soon after start of the game against former Asian snooker elite James Wattana. The 20-year-old was cut by 16 points before driving the cue ball out of a snooker trap designed by the Thai veteran.
Ding cut the lead to 48-42, exploiting the failure of his rival to pocketing a red ball, but still conceded the opening frame after losing a bout of snooker-makings that required both defensive skills and patience.
The Thai was also forced to a points-cut penalty in the second frame after the cue ball failed to hit the target. But an error in his attack crushed Ding’s hope of a comeback, gifting his wily rival a chance to reap a high score in a break and wrap up the final victory.
mmkey.net
The rout left Ding at the rim of elimination and only a victory over the world champion, the Scot John Higgins, could secure him a stay. In his current form, that always seemed impossible.
Indeed, no miracle occurred, as Ding failed to pose any threat to his rival, who cruised into the semifinals with a 66-15, 55-16 win.
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