Ding reaches 3rd round at UK Championship

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China's Ding Junhui fought back from 4-2 down to edge out Englishman Matthew Selt 6-5 in the second round of the UK Championship in York's Barbican Centre on Sunday.


Two-time UK Champion Ding now meets Xiao Guodong in an all-Chinese affair to be held on Tuesday night.


Selt, ranked 60th in the world, top scored with 130 as he took a 4-2 lead before Ding recovered to 4-4. Selt, who won twice in their three previous meetings, won the ninth and had a chance to clear from 55-0 down in the tenth but narrowly missed an attempted double on the last red. Ding got the better of a safety battle on the red and made it 5-5.


Both players had chances in the decider and Selt crucially missed the green to a baulk corner after potting the last red with the score at 34-45. World number eight Ding took advantage to book his third round spot.


"I tried so hard and I was happy to win," said Ding to worldsnooker.com. "I wasn't making big breaks so I had to find another way to win."


A disappointed Selt tweeted afterwards, "Never felt so gutted after a game of snooker in my life! Had my chances, didn't take them. Overall, 6 out of 10. Good luck to Ding, he's a lovely kid."


Ding's fellow Chinese Yan Bingtao thrashed Paul Davison 6-1 while Martin O'Donnell made a 139 in a 6-2 win over another Chinese player Chen Feilong.


Marco Fu, from Hong Kong, China, made 144, the highest break in the tournament as he defeated Luo Honghao of China 6-2.


Ronnie O'Sullivan came from 4-1 down to beat Ken Doherty 6-5 and keep alive his hopes of a seventh UK Championship title.


He will take on China's Zhou Yuelong on Monday for a place in round of 16.


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