Ding may be out, but China Open legacy he helped build endures

The World Snooker Tour China Open returned on Friday after a six-year hiatus, bringing some of the sport’s finest competitors to Taiyuan, Shanxi province. Last staged in 2019 before being suspended, its comeback carried a particular resonance for Ding Junhui, who triumphed on this very stage two decades ago.

A repeat, however, wasn’t meant to be. Ding, now 39, fell 6-1 to two-time World Championship semifinalist, England’s David Gilbert, missing out on a spot in the final 16.

“I don’t know when I can bring everything together and unleash my full potential,” Ding told reporters afterward. “All I can do is try my best.”

It is a respectable admission from a player whose breakout performance is a definitive moment in not just the tournament’s history, but for the sport.

The 2005 China Open saw Ding claim his first career ranking title, a milestone widely regarded as a starting point for the snooker’s development in China.

Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, told the opening ceremony of this year’s Open that Ding’s 2005 victory was an unforgettable moment that reshaped the landscape of snooker and blazed a professional trail for generations of Chinese players.

The proof of that legacy is now sitting in the same draw. Among this year’s field is Si Jiahui, who credits his bond with the sport directly to Ding’s performance.

“Had Ding Junhui not won the China Open title, I might never have known about snooker, let alone embarked on a career as a professional player,” Si said.

Ding himself remembers the freedom of those early years.

“Back then, I didn’t really feel pressure from the outside world,” he recalled. “I was younger and played with a more aggressive style.”

In the two decades since, Chinese snooker has entered a golden age. A new wave of players, including Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize, have emerged on the international stage, and a wide range of events have flourished across the country. This year’s tournament offered its own marker of how far the game has come: 12 Chinese athletes qualified for the main draw, a record for the country’s representation at the event.

For Ding, high-profile tournaments are the strongest driver for popularizing the sport, and passing on its sporting culture is of great value.

“Public understanding of a sport often surges alongside a major event,” he said. “Thanks to this tournament, more people can gain a thorough understanding of snooker.