Ding Junhui powers past Kyren Wilson to reach English Open semifinals

China's Ding Junhui advanced to the semifinals of the WST English Open after beating Kyren Wilson 6-2 in Brentwood, England, on Friday.

Ding enjoyed a blistering start in the best-of-11 quarterfinal showdown, shutting out Wilson in each of the first three frames to establish a commanding 3-0 lead.

The 39-year-old opened the contest with a break of 93, taking the first frame by the same scoreline, before grabbing the second 70-0. Another sizeable contribution of 87 followed in the third, as Ding extended his advantage without allowing his opponent to register a single point.

Wilson finally found his rhythm in the fourth frame. The Englishman compiled a break of 98 to get on the scoreboard before adding the fifth 103-11, aided by a 79, to cut Ding's lead to 3-2.

With Wilson threatening to complete the comeback, Ding steadied himself in a closely-contested sixth frame. A break of 59 helped the Chinese potter prevail 80-50, restoring his two-frame advantage.

Ding then moved to the brink of victory with a 76 in the seventh, claiming the frame 76-17 for a 5-2 lead. The eighth proved much tighter, but Ding edged Wilson 64-59 to complete the 6-2 victory, sealing his place in the last four.

Ding's next opponent will be Ali Carter, who overcame a 5-3 deficit to edge China's Zhou Yuelong 6-5. Zhou stood one frame away from setting up an all-Chinese semifinal clash, before Carter reeled off the final three to complete the stunning turnaround.

In the other half of the draw, Shaun Murphy survived a deciding-frame battle against Judd Trump to prevail 6-5. Trump rolled in a 112 clearance to level the match at 5-5, but "The Magician" held his nerve in the decider to advance.

Murphy will meet three-time world champion Mark Williams, who pulled away from Welsh compatriot Liam Davies after their contest went into the interval level at 2-2. Williams sealed a 6-3 victory with a 112 clearance in the ninth frame, which also marked the 700th century of his professional career.