STAN MOODY has broken the Ding curse after achieving the biggest win of his career.
The 18-year-old snooker sensation, who has earned comparisons to darts star Luke Littler, is into round three at the Wuhan Open.
GettyStan Moody has ended the Ding curse[/caption]
GettyPlayers who beat Ding Junhui had failed to beat their next opponent on 22 consecutive occasions[/caption]
He did so in emphatic style, thrashing Zhou Yuelong.
In doing so he has finally ended the Ding curse, becoming the first player to win a match after defeating Ding Junhui in 23 attempts.
The Ding curse has lasted 18 months and 22 tournaments – it started at the 2024 Players Championship when John Higgins beat Ding before losing to Zhang Anda.
Moody defeated Ding 5-3 in the previous round to carry on his impressive form from the Saudi Arabia Masters.
The teenager reached the fourth round in Jeddah this month – the furthest he has reached in a ranking tournament.
He said after beating former UK Championship winner Ding: “As the match went on I got better and better. I knew I needed to get over the line, but I felt very nervous. I’m very happy with the win.
“It was a fantastic experience. I knew what it would be like, with the crowd clapping every shot.
“When he got flukes they were cheering. I tried to enjoy it, view myself as the underdog and take the pressure off. I really enjoyed it.
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“I lost a frame for him to get back to 4-3. I just tried to think about how much pressure he had with hundreds of millions of people wanting him to win.
“I tried my best to keep my head straight.”
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