Sheffield (England), April 29 (IANS) Chinese star Ding Junhui suffered a surprise 4-13 defeat to Englishman Judd Trump at the World Snooker Championships here on Wednesday.
It took Trump less than 10 minutes to snatch a winning frame in the third session as he took a commanding 12-4 lead in the best-of-25 quarter-final clash after Tuesday night’s second session, reports Xinhua.
Ding, the third seed, has experienced a dismal season, failing at the first round in six major tournaments including the UK Championship and the Masters.
“I don’t think I played badly but it was not good enough to win. He played very well and I don’t have many chances. He is playing the best snooker he can. I have not seen him play like that for a few years, probably since 2011,” said Ding.
Ding has played in the World Championships nine times and his best result was entering the semi-finals in 2011 when he lost to Trump 15-17.
“My dream is to win the World Championships. Although it didn’t happen, I still have the dream,” he said.
The 25-year-old Trump has enjoyed the most consistent season of his career so far, winning the Australian Open and World Grand Prix as well as reaching three other finals. Trump, who finished runner-up to John Higgins in 2011, will meet either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Stuart Bingham in the last four.
“I don’t fear Ronnie but if he plays at his best, he is tough to beat. But if I play at my best, I can match him,” said Trump.