Ding defeats Selby

Leading 10-6 from the previous session, Ding managed to stay in front and held his nerve in the final frame to sink a pressure pink and black.

Signs of a consecutive semi-final appearance at the Crucible for Selby looked good as he kept Ding off the table with solid scoring to level at 10-10, including breaks of 55, 86 and 92.

Given the momentum was strongly in his favour, the Jester from Leicester was to rue a break for the mid-session interval that disrupted his flow as the pendulum swung the other way.

Ding potted his first balls in over 70 minutes when play continued and scraped his first frame of the evening on the black with a fine cut.

High breaks were at a premium after that as the pressure built but it was Ding who kept his composure to take the final two frames that either player could have won.

He faces Judd Trump next.

Ding Junhui leads Mark Selby 10-6 after the penultimate session of their World Championship quarter-final at the Crucible.

The Chinese 24-year-old started at a blistering pace, romping to a 121 break in the opening frame of the session and opening up a 6-3 lead in the match.

With Selby struggling for fluency early on, Ding raced to 50-0 in the next frame, before a narrowly-missed black to the bottom-left corner refused to drop.

The pair exchanged visits, before Selby eventually secured the frame with a clearance up to pink.

Ding immediately extended his lead back to three frames with a dazzling 87 break, but Selby responded to take the final frame before the mid-session interval after a tense, cagey 45-minute frame.

Ding returned from the interval with a bang - moving 77-0 clear with some delicate potting with 75 points left on the table.

Selby gamely refused to concede the frame - battling with a brilliant snooker - but the 'Jester from Leicester' missed a tricky black to the bottom-right corner pocket after potting the final red, and Ding punished him by knocking in the yellow to finally secure the frame and an 8-5 lead.

Another lengthy, edgy frame followed, but a lovely long yellow to the top-left corner finished it for Selby, who once again refused to let Ding out of sight in the quarter-final.

A much-needed break of 76 earned Ding a 9-6 lead with one more frame to play in the session, before the Chinese player edged another marathon frame to forge a four-frame lead heading into the final session.

Play resumes at 7pm on Wednesday.

Selby started the session in blistering fashion - keeping Ding rooted to his seat with a break of 124 in the opening frame.

The 'Jester from Leicester' made history with his 54th century break of the season, overtaking Stephen Hendry as the sole record-holder for the most centuries ever in a season.

Ding's fans had every right to feel nervous after Selby's phenomenal start, but it proved to be a false dawn as a host of uncharacteristic errors ensured Ding plenty of time at the table in the next frame.

The Chinese 24-year-old got his first frame on the board with a 55 clearance, and didn't look back as he followed a sloppy missed pink by Selby in the third frame with a break of 53 to go 2-1 up.

A break of 65 in the fourth earned Ding his third consecutive frame before the mid-interval break, and the Masters champion made it four in a row and 4-1 without a significant break after Selby missed an awkward red to the bottom-right corner.

A quite brilliant 87 clearance from Selby reduced Ding's lead to two frames, only for the Chinese potter to make sure of an overnight lead by taking the next frame with a break of 77.

With Ding in control of the quarter-final at 5-2, it was vital for Selby to respond in the final frame of session to reduce the arrears ahead of tomorrow's second session, and the 2008 Welsh Open champion produced the goods after the cagiest frame of the match.

After a protracted exchange of safeties - during which Selby spent the majority of the time firmly on the back foot - the world number three finally re-found his top gear to secure the frame with a sensational break of 74.