Ding Junhui defeats Joe Perry to reach round of 32 at WST World Open

Ding Junhui of China defeated Joe Perry of England 5-2 in the second round of the World Snooker Tour (WST) World Open in Shangrao, east China's Jiangxi Province, on Monday.

Perry started his 25th head-to-head match against Ding by grabbing a 1-0 lead after taking advantage of several mistakes from the home favorite. But Ding returned the favor with a century break of 123 to pull level and then clinched the ensuing frame to surge into a 2-1 lead.

Perry replied with a break of 87 in the fourth frame to tie the match again, but Ding rolled in another century run of 138 to regain the advantage. The World No. 9 continued to play solid defense in the next two frames and ended the battle with a break of 68 in the seventh.

"I think the third frame of the match was crucial, because I made a few mistakes, which gave Perry several opportunities," Ding said. "So it was really tough for me to overcome those difficulties and take a 2-1 lead. I don't have any expectations for the upcoming matches. I will just try my best to play. Every player has a different style and characteristics, which presents different challenges for me, so I can only deal with various issues during the match."

In other action, English world champion Shaun Murphy steamrolled China's Zhou Jinhao 5-0 after firing in three century breaks.

The impressive display included Murphy's 10th official 147 maximum break and second of the season, moving him ahead of compatriot Stuart Bingham for fourth place on the all-time list, behind England's Ronnie O'Sullivan (15) and Scotland's John Higgins (13) and Stephen Hendry (11).

"I'm absolutely delighted, but I must say it was an early session, an early start," Murphy said. "There weren't many fans in this morning, so it was probably the most underwhelming 147 of all-time, but they're all special. I can't believe it - I'm blown away."