Ding Junhui battles through as Neil Robertson impresses at International Championship

A two-time winner of this title, Ding made a slow start against world number 109 Sahil Nayyar, with a scrappy opening frame going the way of his Canadian opponent.

The pair then exchanged frames, with Nayyar taking a 2-1 lead as both players struggled to find their rhythm.

Ding responded by winning two frames on the bounce, including a superb century break of 102 in the fourth frame to settle himself into the match. However, former Pan-American Snooker Champion Nayyar refused to go away, matching Ding’s 102 with a century of his own to level the match at 3-3.

Roared on by vocal home support, Ding won frame seven on the final pink to eek back in front before breaks of 78 and 51 helped him to a 6-4 victory and progress in the £825,000 world ranking event.

These are must-win matches in what has been a largely turbulent season for Ding, who is currently ranked 15th in the world rankings but projected to slip outside of snooker’s elite bracket after this tournament, due to him defending the £175,000 he pocketed for winning this title two years ago.

Neil Robertson looked in fine form in Nanjing as the world number three dispatched Jiang Jun, 6-2.

The Australian - who is a two-time International Championship finalist - produced his best work in the fourth frame, compiling a 133 total clearance before wrapping things up after the interval, dropping just one more frame.

The victory will provide some much-needed momentum for Robertson, who has been nowhere near his best this season.

Elsewhere, Hossein Vafaei swept past Stuart Carrington with a 6-0 victory. The Iranian scored brilliantly, producing two centuries and breaks of 69 or more in every frame, culminating in a 114 break to seal the win.

Welshman Ryan Day edged out Lei Peifan, 6-4. The four-time ranking event winner produced a steady performance, making a strong start and converting five breaks of 50 or more to win five frames. Despite a fightback from Peifan both before and after the interval, Day did enough to secure his place in the next round.

In the final result of the session, Ben Woollaston edged past Yao Pengcheng in a tight 6-5 encounter.

During the morning session in the Far East, this season’s number one ranked player Mark Selby defeated Jimmy White in an all-legend clash.

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