Ding’s calling shots on the world stage
DING JUNHUI has overtaken Ronnie O’Sullivan as snooker’s top of the pots.
The Rocket crashed out of the Betfred World Championship on Wednesday, beaten by Chinese star Ding, last year’s Crucible runner-up to Mark Selby.
Ding, 30, may not have won a world title yet but he is an A-List celebrity back home and is regularly watched by staggering TV audiences of more than 100 million.
World No.4 Ding maintained his superb form at the start of his semi-final against defending champion Selby yesterday.
He leads the world No.1 5-3, after rattling in a break of 110 in the last frame of the day.
World Snooker supremo Barry Hearn insists that on his vast following alone Ding is now the biggest draw.
Hearn, who was caught up in a “bullying” row with O’Sullivan said: “Ronnie is famous.
“But Ding is massive in China in a way you can’t imagine until you have been there.
“People still don’t understand the size of the Chinese market in snooker.
“Ding is already the No.1 or No.2 most famous sportsperson in China – and he hasn’t won the world title yet.
“Him beating Ronnie justifies that support. He is the true superstar of the sport over there. “And what he earns makes everything else pale by comparison, he is in a different league. You are talking £500,000 for a waistcoat logo. “We want everyone to share in that. Ronnie is a massive, massive name but I would say Ding is the most famous snooker player in the world purely on the numbers who follow him. “It feels like a symbolic victory. We all need our national heroes and in England we cheer Ronnie, in China they cheer Ding. “But those heroes must deliver on the biggest stage to cement it. Ding has partially done that by beating Ronnie for the first time at the Crucible. “And now he will want to go the whole way. Ding winning it would cement his legacy and he could be anything after that.” Ding made breaks of 76, 84, 52, 56 and 50 against Selby before the closing century to end the day two frames ahead in the bestof-33 match.