Snooker World Open: Ding edges Vafaei, Zhou upsets Wilson to advance to last 16

China's Ding Junhui advanced to the round of 16 at the World Snooker Tour's World Open in Yushan, Jiangxi Province, after a hard-fought 5-3 victory over Iran's Hossein Vafaei in the third round on Tuesday.

Vafaei started strong, initially taking leads of 1-0 and 3-2. But Ding showcased his resilience by claiming three consecutive frames to complete a stirring comeback. China's World No. 9 delivered a steady performance, including a break of 119 in the third frame, to earn enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Ding's next challenge will be formidable, as he faces former world champion Shaun Murphy, who impressively registered a maximum 147 break on the first day of the tournament.

"I had a good start in this match, and took the lead after the early frames. But I was lacking in concentration later, and committed several errors to let my opponent come back," Ding said. "Speaking frankly, I was not in my best form here, but I will try my best in the remaining matches."

In other notable action, China's Zhou Yuelong also progressed after upsetting World No. 2 Kyren Wilson. The crowd favorite began the match with confidence, racking up two century breaks and two half-centuries to establish a commanding 4-0 lead.

But the momentum shifted dramatically after the intermission. England's Wilson responded with back-to-back century breaks and also rolled in a half-century, winning four consecutive frames to level the match at 4-4.

Despite the pressure, Zhou remained composed and managed to accumulate enough points to secure a 5-4 victory. The win sent the World No. 31 into the last 16, where he will face Scotland's John Higgins.

After the match, Zhou talked about his calm demeanor throughout the contest, saying, "Whether I was leading or not, I remained calm, and I was not anxious or nervous when my opponent caught up to me. Both of us played very well here, and he put a lot of pressure on me. But I waited patiently, stayed calm, and finally, I won the deciding frame."