Ding Junhui will face Kyren Wilson in the third round of the China Open after seeing off Xiao Guodong 6-2 on Wednesday. It was an all Chinese match-up at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium and the two players shared the opening four frames in what was shaping up to be nip and tuck contest. However, Ding, who is a two-time champion in Beijing and ranked a full 23 places above his opponent in the world, was then able to stamp his authority on the match, as he won the next four frames in commanding fashion to book his place in round three.
The 31-year-old’s impressive end to the match included two century breaks and he will now face world number 10 Wilson for a place in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Englishman Wilson booked his place in round three with a 6-4 victory over Mark King and, in doing so, he ended his opponent’s hopes of automatically qualifying for the upcoming World Championships at the Crucible. Wilson racked up breaks of 70, 66, 70, 62, 60, 104 and 92 to set up his clash with Ding and the encounter promises to be an intriguing one, as the two players are familiar foes.
Indeed, this will be their fourth meeting over the last year, with the last clash ending in a 10-3 victory for Ding in the final of the World Open last September. Ding is available at 4/7 to repeat that result on Thursday, while Wilson is priced at 7/5 to seal his place in the quarter-finals.