Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui (Chinese: 丁俊晖; born 1 April 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport and widely regarded as the greatest Asian player of all time. Throughout his career, he has won 14 major ranking titles, including three UK Championships (2005, 2009, 2019). He has twice reached the final of the Masters, winning once in 2011. In 2016, he became the first Asian player to reach the final of the World Championship.
Ding at the 2015 German Masters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 April 1987 Yixing, Jiangsu, China | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport country | China | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | the Dragon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional | 2003–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 1 (December 2014, January–February 2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 7 (as of 8 April 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum breaks | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Century breaks | 661 (as of 17 April 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tournament wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minor-ranking | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Ding Junhui | |||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 丁俊晖 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 丁俊暉 | ||||||||
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Ding began playing snooker at age nine and rose to international prominence in 2002 after winning the Asian Under-21 Championship and the Asian Championship. At age 15, he became the youngest winner of the IBSF World Under-21 Championship. In 2003, Ding turned professional at the age of 16. His first major professional successes came in 2005 when he won the China Open and the UK Championship, becoming the first player from outside Great Britain and Ireland to win the title.
During his career, he has compiled more than 600 century breaks, including seven maximum breaks, in professional play. He is the only Asian player to be ranked world number one, which he first achieved in 2014 to become the 11th player to reach the top spot. He is a long-time resident of Sheffield, England, and owns the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy in the same city.