When the 18-year-old Ding Junhui defeated “The Emperor of Snooker” Stephen Hendry 9-5 in the final of the 2005 China Open to lift the championship trophy, the entire Chinese sports community was electrified. This teenager from Yixing, Jiangsu, not only became the first Chinese player to win a ranking tournament but also ignited an unprecedented boom for snooker, a sport once niche in Britain, across China. Today, at 36, Ding Junhui is no longer the inexperienced “prodigy” he once was; instead, he has spent 20 years of his career writing a legend belonging to Chinese snooker.
From “Billiard Hall Teenager” to World Superstar: A Cinderella Story
Ding Junhui’s journey in snooker began with a 7-foot billiard table owned by his father, Ding Wenjun. At 11, his father resolutely closed his long-running business to support his training, taking him around the country to seek guidance from masters. In a billiard hall in Dongguan, Guangdong, the young Ding Junhui practiced over 8 hours a day, sleeping on a mattress next to the table after the hall closed. This nearly obsessive focus led him to win third place in the Asian Invitational Tournament at 13, earning him the title “Oriental Star” from foreign media.
After turning professional in 2003, Ding Junhui shocked the world with his “rocket-like” rise: he won both the China Open and UK Championship in 2005, claimed the Northern Ireland Cup in 2006, and became the first Chinese player to reach the World Championship semifinals in 2011. His playing style combines Eastern delicacy with Western decisiveness, with cue ball positioning as precise as a textbook and a long-pot success rate consistently above 70%. Hendry praised him as “having an innate feel for the game.”
Perseverance in the Lowlands: Transforming “Pressure” into “Motivation”
His career has not been all smooth sailing. After topping the world rankings in 2014, Ding Junhui endured a three-year title drought. Doubts poured in: “His talent has dried up” and “He can’t handle the pressure.” During that period, he locked himself in the training room, adding 2 hours of “devilish potting” daily—placing 10 red balls along the table’s long rail and requiring each to be potted into the corner pocket, with 100 consecutive successes to complete the drill.
At the 2017 World Open final against Kyren Wilson, Ding Junhui trailed 5-8 at one point. In the crucial moment, he showed calm beyond his years, leveling the score with a clearance and eventually winning 10-9. “The low points taught me that championships aren’t the goal; enjoying the focus of each shot is,” he said afterward. This shift in mindset led to a resurgence in 2023, when he won the Six-Red World Championship, proving he remains a top player.
Beyond the Arena: The “Pioneer” of Chinese Snooker
Ding Junhui’s significance extends far beyond being an athlete. His success has seen the number of registered snooker players in China grow from fewer than 100 in 2005 to over 5,000 today. Domestic billiard table sales have increased 15-fold in a decade, with countless halls thriving because of him. Manufacturers like SPKI admit: “Ding Junhui popularized Chinese eight-ball. Our 9-foot table orders grow 20% annually, and many families now see billiard tables as a ‘new household appliance.'”
He also founded the “Ding Junhui Snooker Academy,” training young players with his methods. The 16-year-old Pang Junxu, a protégé of his, has already broken into the world’s top 32. “I hope more Chinese kids can see a bigger world through snooker,” Ding Junhui said, “just like I did back then.”
From a teenager in a Yixing billiard hall to a superstar on the world stage, Ding Junhui has used his cue to break Western dominance in snooker and secure China’s place in the sport’s global map. His story shows that true legend lies not just in the number of titles but in using passion and perseverance to open new possibilities for a sport—much like his signature “kiss shot”—a precise strike that clears the path ahead.