Deadly Ding’s keen to show off best China

DING JUNHUI knows he has the weight of a nation on his shoulders in today’s UK Championship final.

The Chinese superstar, 32, turned on the style to beat compatriot Yan Bingtao 6-2 in a quality semi-final at York’s Barbican yesterday.

Victory set up a mouthwatering final against either Scotland’s Stephen Maguire or Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.

An estimated

100 million people are expected to watch on TV in his native country to see if Ding can reign supreme at snooker’s second biggest tournament – and pocket the

£200,000 top prize. “There’s been a lot of pressure on me over the years,” said Ding, who is gunning for a hat-trick of UK crowns having also won the title in

2005 and 2009.

“If I win it will get more young people playing snooker in

China. Parents will see it as a good sport for their kids to play.

“It will be massive back in China, lots of people will be watching the final.”

Bingtao, 19, dumped out former world champions Neil Robertson and John Higgins en route on to an impressive third major ranking semi-final of his fledgling career.

But breaks of 68, 85, 60, 53 and 60 did the damage with Ding a deserved winner.

Bingtao said: “I’m disappointed. If I’d have played to my normal level then I could have made the score closer.”

Meanwhile, Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from next month’s Masters due to personal reasons.

The Rocket (left) a seven-time winner, told the sport’s governing body World Snooker of his decision yesterday.