Ding Junhui secured only his second ever victory at Alexandra Palace as he beat tournament debutant Jack Lisowski 6-1 in the first round of the 2019 Dafabet Masters on Monday.

World number eight Ding was crowned Masters champion when it was held at Wembley Arena for the final time in 2011, but he had only won one match since the tournament’s switch to Ally Pally.

However, the 31-year-old proved too strong for Englishman Lisowski, who was making his Masters debut following a fine end to 2018 that saw him reach a first ever ranking event final and break into the top 16 of the world rankings. Ding certainly felt his extra Masters experience proved crucial during the contest.

“Jack was under more pressure than me, so he made more mistakes,” Ding was quoted as saying by World Snooker.

“When it’s your first time here you really want to get in front, so the first frame was important. The chances were always there, but he didn’t take them and sometimes you can get punished.”

Ding is confident he can thrive, despite his poor recent record, although he knows every match will be tough as he bids to go all the way.

“For me, no matter how I play, I just want to win. I believe I can do well at this venue for the next few seasons. It’s a good start,” he added.

“The Masters is only 16 players. They’re all good and there are no easy games. Even if your opponent’s not playing well, it’s still a hard game. Concentration is the first thing.”

Next up for Ding is a quarter-final clash with Luca Brecel on Thursday and he is priced at 1.44 to win. His Belgian opponent, who edged past defending champion Mark Allen 6-5 in the first round, is available at 2.75.