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World Snooker
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World Snooker Championship: five Chinese players learn first round opponents; Ding Junhui faces 2015 champion Stuart Bingham

  • After England, China is the most represented nation at this year’s World Championship with five players in the starting 32
  • Chinese ace Ding Junhui faces 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham in opener

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Ding Junhui kicks off his World Championship campaign with a first round match against Stuart Bingham. Photo: Xinhua
Paul Ryding
The draw for the first round of the Betfred World Championship was made on Thursday and five Chinese players were among the 32 to learn their opening opponents when the showpiece begins at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on Saturday.

Chinese No 1 Ding Junhui was drawn against 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham, the world No 18 and arguably the top player to come through this year’s qualifiers.

Liang Wenbo, the 2016 English Open champion who headed a group of three Chinese players to come through qualifying this week, faces the toughest first round draw of the Chinese crop against 2010 world champion and No 3-ranked Neil Robertson.

Lu Haotian, who also came through the qualifiers to make the Sheffield showpiece, was drawn against Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, while Tian Pengfei, who beat 2006 world champion Graeme Dott in qualifying, will meet the four-time world champion John Higgins.

Yan Bingtao, the reigning Masters Champion and current world No 10, plays in the opening match of the tournament against qualifier Martin Gould of England at 6pm on Saturday (Hong Kong time).

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