Breaking news: Davis beaten by Ding in China

The St Leonards-based player went down 5-1 against home favourite and world number four Ding Junhui in round two of the season’s penultimate World Snooker ranking event.

World number 18 Davis lost a tight opening frame on the pink despite leading going onto the colours courtesy of a 51 break. He didn’t score a point in frame two, though, as Ding levelled with a top break of 44.

Ding then rattled through the third with a break of 86 to take a 2-1 lead and was 40 points ahead in the next before Davis came back to clinch it with a top run of 36, making it 3-1 at the interval.

Davis didn’t pot a ball after the resumption, however, as Ding sealed victory with runs of 86 and 66 to set up a last 16 meeting with in-form Welsh potter Mark Williams.

The 42-year-old Davis, who had reached the quarter-finals of the previous three tournaments in India, Wales and Thailand, was a 5-3 winner over Kyren Wilson in round one yesterday.

He will now turn his attention to the World Championship Qualifiers, which will get underway next Wednesday. The format of the qualifiers has been changed this year and Davis will have to win three matches to book his place in the event proper at The Crucible later this month.