World Snooker Championship 2025: Ding Junhui Reveals Why China’s Next Generation Will Take Over the Sport

China’s snooker icon Ding Junhui finally snapped his own Crucible hoodoo with a battling 10-7 victory over Zak Surety, securing his first win at the World Snooker Championship in five years.

Ding hadn’t tasted success at the famous Sheffield venue since 2019, when he beat Antony McGill in the first round. Since then, it’s been a string of early exits—until now.

Ding Downs Surety 

The 38-year-old made a flying start against world No. 73 Surety, surging into a 4-0 lead before the Essex debutant fought back in a tense second session. Surety, who trailed 6-3 overnight, clawed his way to 7-6 and threatened an upset before Ding pulled away with three of the last four frames to seal the win.

“Now I feel relaxed, I released all the pressures because I know what happens here,” Ding told us post-match. 

“The past few years I’ve always been out in the first round, but this year it wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t easy, you saw that in the second session, but I’m still in the tournament.”

Surety, the lowest-ranked player to qualify for this year’s championship, can take plenty of positives from his performance. He stunned Jack Lisowski in the qualifiers before sweeping past Ricky Walden on Judgement Day and made four centuries during his Crucible debut – a record for a first-timer at the tournament.

But it was Ding who held his nerve to set up a second-round clash with either reigning world champion Luca Brecel or Welshman Ryan Day.

The Rise of Chinese Snooker

Away from the table, attention quickly turned to the growing influence of Chinese talent on the world stage, and Ding made no secret of his belief that snooker is entering a new era.

A record 10 Chinese players have qualified for this year’s World Championship, a stat that hasn’t gone unnoticed by world No. 1 Judd Trump, who admitted recently that he’s worried China could dominate the sport in the next decade.

“It’s worrying times for the rest of the game I think if they keep up that kind of work ethic and hunger that maybe some of the younger generation don’t have any more,” Trump told the BBC.

“It’s up to me and the likes of Mark Selby and a few others to kind of keep them just that little bit behind.”

“Just the Start”

Ding agreed with Trump’s assessment, saying the Chinese surge is only just beginning.

“This year with 10 Chinese players at the Crucible, I think it’s just the start,” he told SportsBoom.com. 

“In the future they’ll be more Chinese players coming through the qualifiers and that are already in the [top] 16.”

“There is many many Chinese players that are ready to play pro, some are already pro but haven’t qualified yet.”

“I believe in the next few years. Once they have improved their games and become more experienced in tournaments, you just wait and see.”

Zhao & Lei Tipped for Glory 

Former UK Champion Zhao Xintong, who returned to competition earlier this season following a 20-month ban for betting offences, is among the dark horses tipped for the title. Zhao cruised past 2024 finalist Jak Jones 10-4 to reach round two.

Ding himself named Zhao as a serious contender ahead of the tournament and also praised fellow countryman Lei Peifan as a future champion.

21-year-old Lei stunned defending champion Kyren Wilson—continuing the so-called Crucible Curse for first-time title holders.

British vs. Chinese Youth Development

Ding believes the success of China’s young guns comes down to total focus, something he thinks is lacking among many young British hopefuls.

He believes young British players often don’t commit to a single sport early in life, instead splitting their attention between activities like football and other interests. 

In contrast, young Chinese snooker players tend to focus solely on snooker from the outset, which Ding says helps them build mental strength and a deeper understanding of the game from a much younger age.

“I think the young British players aren’t fully focused on one sport, and they’re so free on what they are doing in the day,” he said.

“Chinese snooker players are focused from day to day. That’s how they become strong from such a young age.”

Now back in the Crucible win column, Ding will be hoping this year’s campaign can lead to a deep run—and perhaps, his long-awaited world title.