Davis gives China's Ding worldly advice

Snooker great Steve Davis believes China's Ding Junhui can become Asia's first world champion, provided he has a friend by his side.

Ding, still only 28, begins his ninth attempt to win snooker's most prestigious prize when he faces Mark Davis at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in northern England on Monday.

Although he has twice won the UK Championship, the sport's second-most important tournament, Ding's best run at the World Championship was a semifinal appearance in 2011.