Beijing, March 31 (IANS) Local favourite Ding Junhui finally broke the first-round elimination jinx at the 2015 World Snooker China Open, and “Wizard” John Higgins on Tuesday said that could become a turning point to see him roar up again.
Ding progressed through the first round with a 5-1 victory over Scotland’s Marcus Campbell at the China Open on Monday, his first victory after falling at the first hurdle in six ranking tournaments in a row, reports Xinhua.
“Ding isn’t winning matches which is incredible, considering his performance last year,” said the former world champion after he beat another Chinese Yu Delu at 5-3 including a 114-point shot.
But Higgins believes that one win can take Ding from feeling difficult and under pressure to winning the China Open — and even his first World Championship title.
“He’s been losing confidence he has before. Once he got the confidence, then he would be a tougher player,” said Higgins.
Ding, who bagged home five titles in 2013/2014 season to become the world number one, will next take on Mark Davis from England.