Snooker: Ding Junhui stifles Stefanow 6-1

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Top Chinese snooker player Ding Junhui kick-started his campaign at the Snooker UK Championships in style. The ace cueist steamrolled Poland's Adam Stefanow 6-1 in the first round in London on Tuesday.

Ding, who won this event in 2005 and 2009, cruised through in the best of 11 frames match to make a flying start in the tournament.

Firing on all cylinders from the word go, Ding made a strong comeback to take the opener 60-59 and set the ball rolling with a break of 71 to win the second frame.

Stefanow cut the deficit after he notched up 84 points in the third. But two-time champion, Ding, pocketed the fourth 70-37 to take a 3-1 lead before the break.

Ding Junhui in a match against Adam Stefanow during the day one of the Betway UK Championship at York Barbican, UK, November 27, 2018. /VCG Photo

The world number 129 from Poland crumbled under pressure and made several errors, which helped Ding take three consecutive frames to wrap up the match 6-1. In the second round, he will take on Matthew Selt, who beat Ding's fellow Chinese Zhang Yong 6-2.

Ding said after the match, "I didn't play well today. Adam had chances and it could have been different if he had taken them."

"I have been practicing hard and hopefully I can get better each day," he added.

Meanwhile, Chinese teenager Luo Honghao registered a thumping 6-0 victory over British Michael Georgiou while Zhou Yuelong made short work of Iranian Soheil Vahedi with a 6-1 win.

Elsewhere, Tian Pengfei outclassed his fellow Chinese Lyu Haotian 6-4 and two-times UK finalist Ken Doherty crushed Yuan Sijun 6-2. In another first round match of the day, two-time champion from Australia, Neil Robertson outmaneuvered Kishan Hirani of Wales 6-2.

(With inputs from Xinhua)