Ding targets O'Sullivan showdown at World Championships

Ding Junhui has been scarred by plenty of Betfred World Snooker Championship battle wounds but he is desperate to face a razor-sharp Ronnie O’Sullivan in this year’s semi-finals.

Ding was in fine form against fellow Chinese potter Xiao Guodong in the first round, storming from 2-0 down to register an impressive 10-3 win.

But the 31-year-old, who is yet to win at the Crucible Theatre, is already looking ahead to a potential last four contest with O’Sullivan – the game’s standout player this year and the heavy favourite to win a sixth world title.

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“I want to play Ronnie. I really do. I want to improve myself and he is the hardest to beat so I want to play him,” he said.

“It is always a good test and I want to win every match. It is not always impossible but I want to increase my win percentage and beat everyone else.”

Xiao, the world number 25, had only ever won match at the Crucible Theatre before but he started like he owned the place with breaks of 82 and 54 giving him a 2-0 lead.

Ding was noticeably rusty, missing balls he would normally make in his sleep, but as soon as he got on the board in frame three his confidence noticeably grew.

A composed century of 124 gave him the lead and only a steady 57 from Xiao prevented Ding from winning every other frame in the session.

And then breaks of 72, 61, 51, 78 and 98 carried him over the line and into the second round for the sixth successive year.

“I am confident. I have played well but I don’t worry about my form in my games,” he said.

“I was having a laugh out there but maybe I was just leading by too many frames. I love to smile, it takes the pressure away. I just need to be nice on myself and forgive the bad shots.

“If I do that, then I will be dangerous in every match.”

Elsewhere, 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham was dumped out by qualifier Jack Lisowski late on Tuesday night.

Bingham battled hard but could not quite get on level terms before succumbing to a 10-7 defeat.

Two-time champion Mark Williams took control of his first-round match with Jimmy Robertson, moving 7-2 clear at the end of a dominant first session.

Williams will be hoping to avoid becoming the latest seeded player to be dumped out, after Belgium’s Luca Brecel fell to qualifier Ricky Walden 10-6.

Walden, a former semi-finalist in Sheffield, has struggled with injury for much of the season bit has changed his technique in the build-up to this tournament to ease the pain and insists it is paying off.

“I played well in the most of the game,” he said. “It is a horrible situation to be in to qualify but my game is sharp.”

Watch the snooker World Championship LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with Colin Murray and analysis from Ronnie O’Sullivan, Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.