| Ding Junhui | |
|---|---|
| File:China flag large.png | |
| Personal Information | |
| Date of birth | March 4, 1987 |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Career | |
| Professional | 2003 - present |
| 2004/5 World Ranking | n/a |
| Best World Ranking | n/a |
| World Championship Best | n/a |
| Highest Break | ? |
Ding Junhui (Chinese: 丁俊晖) (born 4 March 1987) is a Chinese snooker player, born near Shanghai and now resident in England.
Junhui started playing snooker at the age of 9 when he joined his father and his friends while he was bored. He practices the game 8 hours every day and in 2003 he became the no. 1-ranked player in China.
Junhui shot to international prominence in 2002, when he won the Asian under-21 championship, the Asian Championship, and the IBSF World under-21 championship. He was unable to progress much in 2003 as both the Asian Championship and under-21 Championship had to be cancelled because of the SARS virus crisis, but he was a semi-finalist in the IBSF World under-21 championship and was awarded a Main Tour concession by the World Snooker Association which enabled him to turn professional in September 2003.
In February 2004 Junhui was awarded a wildcard entry to the Masters championship in London, where in the first round he defeated the world no. 16-ranked player, Joe Perry, before narrowly losing in the second round to Stephen Lee. His performance favourably impressed many commentators who have rated him a likely future World Champion.
In March 2005 he celebrated his 18th birthday by reaching the final of the China Open championship in Beijing, defeating world top-16 ranked players Peter Ebdon, Marco Fu, and Ken Doherty to contest the final with Stephen Hendry.