2026 International Championship: Ding Junhui avoids qualifying trap draw with thrilling last-ditch win

A two-time winner of this prestigious International Championship crown - the second of those coming two years ago - Ding pipped Chinese compatriot Zhang Anda, 6-5, on the final black to progress in the £825,000 world ranking event.

Following victories against Sahil Nayyar and Gao Yang over the past couple of days, things were going according to plan for Ding in his latest outing in Nanjing, as efforts of 75 and 51 helped him to a 3-0 lead.

After watching his opponent get on the board with a 106 in frame four, Ding re-established a three-frame cushion after the mid-session by depositing the fifth.

However, Zhang - whose maiden ranking title triumph came in this tournament three years ago - went on a four-frame winning streak that began with efforts of 132 in the sixth, and a 78 in the seventh.

At 5-4 down, Ding hit his highest break of the tie, a 97, in frame ten to force the contest all the way.

In what turned out to be a very tense deciding frame that lasted more than 40 minutes, Ding battled back from behind, fluking the final yellow before producing a brilliant clearance of the remaining colours to pinch victory by a single point.

Ding has now won his last four matches against Zhang on the World Snooker Tour, with three of those going to a decider.

This week’s event in the Far East carries added importance to Ding, who is defending £175,000 from his world ranking points tally - the amount he collected from winning this tournament two years ago.

With snooker’s global standings working on a two-year rolling cycle, Ding is projected to drop from his current ranking of 15th to outside of the world’s elite top 16 bracket unless he - at the minimum - reaches this week’s final.

Falling outside of the top 16 at this particular time of year would mean that Ding would have to qualify for the upcoming UK Championship - the first Triple Crown event of the season that he has won three times before. The 15-time ranking event winner would also face an uphill task to make the cut for January’s Masters invitational at the Alexandra Palace in London.

Next up for Ding is a last 16 meeting on Tuesday with either title holder and reigning World Champion Wu Yize or Stephen Maguire.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 International Championship, visit our tournament information centre here.