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World Championship 2022: Ding Junhui shows signs of his old self after Yan Bingtao sets up Mark Selby showdown
- Flying start for Ding before Kyren Wilson cuts his lead to 5-4 in the first session of their first-round match
- Compatriot Yan through to second round to play defending champion Selby after Lyu Haotian’s exit leaves China with three contenders
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And then there were three. Ding Junhui began his World Championship campaign on Wednesday with two fellow Chinese players already through to the second round, and he was in the hunt to join them after the first session of his clash with Kyren Wilson.
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Hours earlier, Yan Bingtao had followed compatriot Zhao Xintong into the last 16, but China lost one of its four representatives at the Crucible as Lyu Haotian fell by the wayside.
A losing finalist in 2016, Ding had to come through the qualifying tournament this year after a couple of lean seasons. However, the 35-year-old showed flashes of the Ding of old to lead Wilson and finish the session 5-4 up.
Wilson was hardly at the table as Ding blitzed the first three frames, before the world No 5 stopped the rot in the fourth. Ding pulled 5-3 ahead, then a cagey final frame of the session went the way of Wilson.
World No 16 Yan earlier completed a 10-6 victory over Chris Wakelin, registering two century breaks.
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