Snooker: Ding gains upper hand over champion Selby
Ding Jinhui leads Mark Selby 5-3 in the 33-frame world championship semi-final.
LONDON (AFP) - China s 2016 world finalist Ding Jinhui took the first steps to avenging last year s defeat as he will go into Friday s second session of his world championship semi-final leading champion Mark Selby 5-3.
The 30-year-old, who received a congratulatory kiss and heaps of compliments from the mercurial five-time champion Ronnie O Sullivan after beating him on Wednesday, was twice pegged back by Selby when he took the lead.
Selby edged in front at 3-2 but Ding rattled off the final three frames of the session to secure a two frame advantage.
Indeed Ding, whose exploits has unleashed a wave of Chinese snooker talent, finished it with a flourish recording a break of 110 in the final frame.
However, Ding will be mindful that the semi-final has a long way to go with it being the best of 33 frames.
O Sullivan, though, believes he is capable of going the whole way and becoming China s first ever world champion.
"He s a special lad, a beautiful guy, and I know his family really well so I know he comes from good stock," said O Sullivan.
"He s all good, Ding. He wants to win this title so bad. He s in a good place."
Four-time world champion John Higgins holds a 5-3 lead over Barry Hawkins, who beat both Selby and Ding on his way to the 2013 final.
Higgins, appearing in the semi-finals for the first time since his fourth championship win in 2011, led 4-0 at one point.
However, Hawkins redoubtable battling skills saw him win three of the final four frames including a break of 74 in the final one of the night to send him to bed in a happier frame of mind than looked likely at one point.
