Ding moves into Snooker's Malta Cup semi-finals
VALLETTA (AFP) — China's Ding Junhui reached the semi-finals of the Malta Cup on Friday with a 6-0 whitewash of Wales' Mark Williams in his final group match.
Ding needed to win just three frames for his place in the knockout stage of the tournament at the Hilton Conference Centre in Portomaso on the Mediterranean island and after he won a scrappy opener he never looked back.
Already a winner of three ranking titles, Ding won a fragment opening frame on points 65-51, before he edged 2-0 ahead thanks his fifth century of the tournament - a break of 123.
And his place in the last four was confirmed when the Asian professional won the next frame on points 25-70.
Ding will take on former world champion Shaun Murphy for a place in the final.
"I'm looking forward to the next match, it's nice to be in the semi-finals," said the 20-year-old.
The other semi-final will see world champion John Higgins and Dubliner Ken Doherty clash in a repeat of the 2006 Malta Cup final.
