Chinese teams grind out second victories at World Cup

Ding Junhui from the China A team considers his next move during his match against Germany in the 2017 Snooker World Cup in Wuxi, China, on July 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The China A team took another step toward qualifying for the quarterfinals of the 2017 Little Swan World Cup on July 4, after securing a 3-2 victory against Germany.

But world number four Ding Junhui and world number twelve Liang Wenbo had a much tougher time than in their first game, a 5-0 win over Ireland, and it took them close to three hours to overcome the talented young Germans spearheaded by Lukas Kleckers.

Kleckers, a rising star who is just starting his first season as a professional, put in an impressive performance in front of the crowd in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, winning both his singles games against his more experienced Chinese opponents.

But local hero Ding held his nerve in the deciding frame to win the tie for China with a break of 71, the highest of the match.

The win means that China A are now top of Group B alongside Belgium, who romped to an impressive 4-1 win over Marco Fu’s Hong Kong team. Ding and Liang will continue their campaign against Egypt on Wednesday.

The China B team, represented by defending champions Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao, also kept up their perfect record in the tournament so far by beating Norway 3-2. They currently sit second in Group D, behind Wales.

Liang Wenbo, Ding's teammate on the China A team (left), shakes hands with Germany's Simon Lichtenberg after winning the first singles frame of the match on day two of the the 2017 Snooker World Cup in Wuxi, China, on July 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]