Ding Junhui downs Ronnie O’Sullivan on route to Six Red semis

Ding Junhui defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-2 on the way to reaching the Six Red World Championship semi-finals in Pathum Thani.

The Dragon claimed his second successive victory over the Rocket, having also enjoyed a commanding 6-0 whitewash in the UK Championship quarter-finals in November.

Champion of this event in 2016, Ding reeled off straight frames – snatching the fifth and sixth on the black, before winning the next two to advance to the quarter-finals, where he was also a 6-2 winner over Stuart Bingham.

Also a runner-up to Kyren Wilson in 2018, the Chinese ace is aiming to become only the third multiple Six Red World Championship winner, after Mark Davis and Stephen Maguire.

His semi-final opponent will be Tom Ford, who withstood a trademark John Higgins to fightback to prevail a narrow 6-5 winner.

Despite surging into a 5-0 lead, the German Masters runner-up was pegged back to a decider, but held his nerve with a timely 67 to scrape over the line.

Elsewhere, Hossein Vafaei also prevailed in a deciding frame to edge out Judd Trump 6-5.

Leading 5-4, the Ace looked set to advance to the semi-finals, but missed match-ball brown. Vafaei subsequently forced a final frame on the black, with a neat clearance of 61 seeing him through.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is the other former champion still in the draw. Like Ding, the Thai Rocket is also seeking a record-equalling second title following his triumph in 2015.

Also a runner-up to Mark Williams two years later, the home favourite booked his place in the last four with a 6-2 victory over compatriot Dechawat Poomjaeng, before seeing off Zhang Anda by the same scoreline.

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Six Red World Championship 2023 Results

Thursday March 9

Last 16

James Wattana 4-6 Zhang Anda
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 6-2 Dechawat Poomjaeng
Hossein Vafaei 6-3 Noppon Saengkham
Judd Trump 6-3 Mark Williams
Chris Wakelin 3-6 Tom Ford
Joe Perry 2-6 John Higgins
Stuart Bingham 6-0 Ricky Walden
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-6 Ding Junhui

Quarter-Finals

Zhang Anda 2-6 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Judd Trump 5-6 Hossein Vafaei
John Higgins 5-6 Tom Ford
Ding Junhui 6-2 Stuart Bingham