Ding Junhui suffers upset at Snooker Championship

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At the International Championship in Daqing, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, home-favorite Ding Junhui suffered a stunning upset defeat against Matthew Stevens on Wednesday.

As the duo were fighting for a spot in the quarter-finals, the world number seven from China, with an envious record of having the Welsh veteran defeated in eight of their nine previous meetings, faltered in front of his home crowd.

In the first frame, Ding snookered Stevens behind the green and the Welshman conjured up a great escape.

Ding Junhui (L) shares a laugh with Matthew Stevens during the International Championship in Daqing, October 21. /VCG Photo

But Ding put him into trouble again and this time 41-year-old Stevens fouled three times, giving him 21 points.

Ding took a 3-1 lead into the break, but Stevens soon clawed his way back into the game and leveled the score.

In the seventh frame, Ding got a bit of luck en route to a 4-3 lead.

But Stevens compiled breaks of 64 and 127 in the next two frames for a 5-4 advantage.

Ding's run of 66 forced an eleventh and deciding frame, but it was Stevens who came out on top in that one to earn a 6-5 win. He will face Martin O'Donnell in the last eight.