Ding Junhui wins his first ranking event in five years at WST International Championship

Ding Junhui of China defeated Chris Wakelin of England 10-7 in the World Snooker Tour (WST) International Championship final in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Sunday, winning his 15th ranking title of career and the first in nearly five years.

The two came to the night session with a 5-4 lead for Ding who clinched four straight frames and come from 4-1 down in the afternoon. He continued to keep the momentum in his favor by exploiting a missed black on the spot to take the 10th frame on 66, increasing his lead to 6-4.

After Ding claimed another round with a break of 63, Wakelin responded runs of 82 and 89 to stay in contention, trailing 7-6 before the mid-session interval. However, Ding was unstoppable as the match resumed. He claimed three of the following four frames with breaks of 98, 72 and 64 to close out the victory, lifting the title for the first time on home soil since 2017.

"Winning in China feels like a home victory," Ding said. "The support I get here is incredible. Players have to stay focused on the match, but external support also helps. It's been tough, not only for me but for the fans too. I'm glad we all made it through together. The setup in Nanjing, like transportation and facilities, was excellent."

"I've played so well in every match. Chris applied a lot of pressure in this game, especially at 4-1. I put too much pressure on myself at the beginning. That was the perfect start for him, but he started missing and there were some key frames to get 5-4 ahead. The second session was totally different," he added.

Ding will rise from 93rd to seventh in the one-year-list and jumps from ninth to eighth in the world rankings.

As for Wakelin, despite the loss in the final, he will move into the world's top 16 for the first time in his career.

"I got off to a great start and losing six frames on the trot was the difference," Wakelin said. "I was proud of how well I handled myself. Only a couple of years ago, that kind of situation would have scared the life out of me. To be out there and feel like I could have won, despite how Ding played, I think I was a credit to myself."

"I've got very vivid memories of watching snooker as a child and dreaming of being in these sorts of scenarios. As much as it does sometimes feel like a dream world, it also feels incredibly normal. I feel like I belong here and that I am capable of coming back and one day lifting this sort of title. As much as today was disappointing, I am really proud of how I handled myself," he added.