DOHA, Dec 7 - For someone who took up snooker as a boy to escape boredom, Ding Jinhui is not doing badly.

The 19-year-old Chinese snooker prodigy is eyeing a third gold medal at the Asian Games having helped his country snap up the snooker team and doubles titles.

On a rainy Thursday, the only sound inside the cue sports hall were the murmurs of approval from team mates and fans conscious of billiards hall etiquette, many walking gingerly on the creaking temporary stands.

Ding caused a sensation at the 2002 Pusan Games where he snapped up the singles title and is already in the top 10 in the world professional snooker rankings.

Last December, he became the first player outside the British Isles to win the U.K. Championship, beating none other than the legendary Steve Davis.

Mongolian schoolboy Tseveendash Temuujin knew he had no chance on Thursday even before the ball got rolling and Ding swept the Ulan Bator student 4-0 to enter the snooker singles last eight.

A smiling Ding breezed past a couple of reporters waiting for his comments, after leaving a lasting impression on his vanquished rival.

"He told me his cue hand was shaking playing against Ding," Mongolian contingent official Bat Yaldt quoted Tseveendash as saying. "He is the big favourite."

Mongolia, with better hopes in archery and freestyle wrestling, have a young team as cue sports were banned until arrived in 1990.

"There were no quality tables, but it is slowly changing," he added.

Former Thailand medallist T. Chuchart, a team official this time, pointed to Ding across the sea of tables laid out for the snooker, billiards, pool and carom competitions.

"He is a super hero in China," he said. "In my opinion, he is the player of the tournament."

Thailand could have their own as Praput Chaithanasakun and Udon Khaimuk beat Pakistan's Vishan Gir and Sohail Shahzed to reach the billiards doubles final.

They face Myanmar's Aung San Oo and Kyaw Oo, shock winners over defending champions and former world singles champions Geet Sethi and Ashok Shandilya of India.

"We have no excuses, but this is hard to take," said Shandilya, singles silver medallist who won a billiards double in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games on the sport's debut.

"They played well," he added. "We're used to the classical format so we've no hope once we concede the advantage in this shorter version."

Top cue sports players, particularly snooker pros, can earn thousands of dollars a year on the circuit.

Honour is the biggest incentive at the Asian Games and the challenge includes adapting to the shorter formats and constant movement of players across the rows of tables.