Clash of China's finest to cue off Crucible action

Superstar Ding draws Xiao in opening match

Chinese snooker superstar Ding Junhui will face compatriot Xiao Guodong in an eye-catching first-round clash at the World Snooker Championship which gets underway on Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.

World No 3 Ding, whose 2016 championship final loss to Mark Selby attracted an audience of 42 million in China, is once again the favored challenger from Asia and faces a 29-year-old opponent who is ranked 25th and appearing in just his third world championship.