Ding Junhui Reaches International Championship Final

Ding Junhui, a player with 14 ranking titles to his name, defeated Xu Si 9-6. This victory secures his place in the final of the International Championship in Nanjing, where he is set to compete against Chris Wakelin. During the first session, Xu established a 5-3 lead, achieving breaks of 137 and 113. Ding’s highest break in this initial session was 119. The three-time UK Championship winner, Ding, claimed the first three frames of the evening’s play against his Chinese compatriot, moving ahead 6-5. However, Xu subsequently drew level at 6-6. In the decisive phase of the match, Ding secured the next two frames, which included a break of 66 in the 14th frame. The 37-year-old, who has not won a ranking title since his 2019 UK Championship triumph, then made a break of 58 to clinch the victory and his spot in the final.