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Ding Junhui rode his luck to win the last two frames and edge past Mark Williams 6-5 in the first round of the Masters at Alexandra Palace.
Ding, who won the tournament in 2011, was fortunate to survive some missed chances towards the end of the match before coolly-taken breaks of 76 and 90 saw him home.
Ding admitted: “At 5-4 down, I missed a long red and the balls went everywhere, and I thought maybe today is done.
“Then I saw a bit of luck (because) Mark didn’t have an easy one. It was the same in the last frame. My concentration and confidence was good after the interval.”
Williams, a two-time winner of the tournament, missed a chance to take an early lead when he miscued in a promising position in the third frame, but took the next two to nudge 3-2 in front.
Two breaks of 60 turned the tie in Ding’s favour before the Welshman served notice of his intention with a superb 136 clearance in the eighth frame to haul himself level.
Williams pinched the ninth to move one frame from victory, but when Ding was not punished for missing two difficult reds, it proved to be enough to send the Chinese player into a last-eight clash with either Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins.
Williams, who turns 50 in two months, bemoaned his ill fortune, saying: “Ding had a hell of a run of the ball, especially in the last two frames when he could have left me in.
“I lost count of the number of times he held his hand up to say ‘sorry’. Those are the fine margins. I have had plenty of run in my time, that’s the game.”
