Cueing up an exciting future

This year's tournament, which runs from today until Sunday at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Beijing, features a prize pool of 1 million pounds ($1.3 million)－second only to the world championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, which begins later this month.

The 64-strong field will again feature the cream of the crop, including defending champion Mark Selby of England, Australian former world No 1 Neil Robertson and reigning world champion Mark Williams of Wales.

World No 9 Ding leads the dozen Chinese potters battling for big bucks and crucial ranking points ahead of the world championship.

The event's rise to snooker's top echelon reflects the inroads the sport has made in China, said Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

"In 14 years, this event has become the flagship World Snooker tournament, not just in China but across Asia," Ferguson told China Daily on Thursday in Beijing.

"It holds a crucial position on our calendar with every round counting to the ranking and seeding for the world championship. It's a testament to our sport's growth here."

With its commercial appeal waning in Britain, snooker is increasingly looking to China to expand.