'The Rocket' boosts Ding as No.1 rival
By Yu Nan (chinadaily.com.cn)Updated: 2007-03-26 09:53 "I has ranked Ding Junhui as my No.1 rival", world best snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan said of Chinese snooker ace upon his arrival last weekend for Snooker China Open kicking off today.
 World snooker top player Ronnie O'Sullivan gives a thumb to his rival,gifted Chinese teenager Ding Junhui after yesterdays pre-games news conference for 2007 Snooker China Open Mar 26,2007. [sina.com]  |
The past two-year China Open witnessed the Rocket has remain at low tide, so that the top-ranked player expressed his desire of getting better, "I enjoy the feeling of playing in China, but not so lucky am myself when I was eliminated even in the first round, and miss the chance of being against Ding last time; I hope I can make great improvement this time."
It was at the China Open in 2005 that Ding announced his arrival at snooker's top table by defeating Hendry to win his first ranking tournament.
But Ding was not considered as his toughest player to deal with. "The toughest player to deal with for me should differ from those best players, " O'Sullivan concluded.
"Both Stephen Hendry and Ding of offensive playing style are whom I are happy to contact with on the court while Peter Ebdon, the top 7, who has always slow down the pace of the frame process, makes me drowsy", O'Sullivan throws remark on this toughest player in his mind.
Hendry, another well-acclaimed player said of for both Ding and Ronnie to meet each other in the first round of the next-month Championships is "quiet unfortunate ", Ronnie O'Sullivan however failed to agree with his peer rival.
"I don't think the frame pace with Ding will be slowed down, even in the earliest round, as in which I am against Ebdon 2006, and Dott 2005; I am enjoying the feeling of playing with the teenager, as mentioned above, regardless of the final results.
Ronnie O'Sullivan was favorably impressed in front of millions of audiences as he gently comforts Chinese prodigy after he crushed him 10-3 to clinch his third Snooker British Masters early this year.
"I have know Ding as well as his family ages ago in England; I feel very sorry to see him sad when he lost the finals in a foreign country and fans' drastic words of the day were likely to make him sick too.
Ding is too young to control the emotion, and that's natural for Rocket. "People would say being a professional player should not be act emotionally, whereas it didn't affect audiences captivated by his performance and his tearful exit as well.
"If I have to choose a player to watch, one of them is surely be Ding, " O'Sullivan said, " Hope to meet him in the finals of the event. "
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