Ding overcomes Steadman to reach International Championship second round

In the richest snooker tournament staged outside of the UK boasting a top prize of £125,000 and a prize fund of £657,000 - the fourth biggest behind the World Championship, Masters and UK Championship - 2013 winner Ding progressed to the second round of the event to the delight of the locals in Daqing a day after a 6-4 success against Sam Craigie in the wildcard round.

There was more success for Chinese snooker fans to enjoy with Yu De Lu overcoming world champion Stuart Bingham 6-2 while Peter Ebdon was 6-0 victor against Ken Doherty in a battle of two former world champions.

With defending champion Ricky Walden losing in the first round of the tournament to Tian Pengfei on Sunday, the top two seeds at the event have lost in successive days.

“It was just a very poor performance from me,” said Bingham, whose best performance so far this season was reaching the last four of the Shanghai Masters.

"I missed easy balls in the first few frames, I was gifting him chances. I should have wrapped the last two frames up earlier. Yu practises near me in Essex so I know how good he is, but I played badly.”

2005 world champion Shaun Murphy saw off the threat of Belgian youngster Luca Brecel in a 6-2 win with four-times world champion John Higgins completing 6-2 success against Zhao Xintong.

Australia's world number four Neil Robertson completed a 6-2 win over Martin O'Donnell boosted by breaks of 90, 86, 58, 127 and 104.

“The standard of the match was very good, my break-building can’t get much better than that,” said Robertson. “You have to play well from the first round these days, despite what Stephen Hendry might think! If you are off your game you can lose to anyone in the first round, and it never used to be like that.

“The conditions are fantastic here compared to some of the other events in China because there is very little humidity. There’s talk of this event becoming the fourth ‘major’ on the calendar and I think for that to happen it needs to have a home, and this city could be the place for it.”

Zhao Xintong (Chn) 2-6 John Higgins (Sco)

Tian Pengfei (Chn) 6-2 Cao Yupeng (Chn)

Andrew Higginson (Eng) 4-6 Liang Wenbo (Chn)

Martin O'Donnell (Eng) 2-6 Neil Robertson (Aus)

Noppon Saengkham (Tha) 4-6 Oliver Lines (Eng)

Lee Walker (Wal) 5-4 Daniel Wells (Wal)

Ken Doherty (Ire) 0-6 Peter Ebdon (Eng)

Joe Perry (Eng) 6-1 Wang Yuchen (Chn)

Craig Steadman (Eng) 2-6 Ding Junhui (Chn)

Yu Delu (Chn) 6-2 Stuart Bingham (Eng)

David Gilbert (Eng) 6-5 Xiao Guodong (Chn)

Allister Carter (Eng) 5-6 Jack Lisowski (Eng)

Shaun Murphy (Eng) 6-2 Luca Brecel (Bel)

Kurt Maflin (Nor) 2-6 Jamie Jones (Wal)

Dominic Dale (Wal) 6-1 Matthew Selt (Eng)

Ben Woollaston (Eng) 6-5 Robbie Williams (Eng)

Tian Pengfei (Chn) v Liang Wenbo (Chn)

Kyren Wilson (Eng) v Mark Allen (NI)

Mark Williams (Wal) v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Tha)

Zhou Yuelong (Chn) v Sanderson Lam (Eng)

Mark Selby (Eng) v Anthony McGill (Sco)

Lee Walker (Wal) v Michael White (Wal)

Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Jamie Jones (Wal)

Michael Holt (Eng) v John Higgins (Sco)

Barry Hawkins (Eng) v Jimmy Robertson (Eng)

Jack Lisowski (Eng) v Marco Fu (HK)

Oliver Lines (Eng) v David Gilbert (Eng)

Ryan Day (Wal) v Ding Junhui (Chn)

Graeme Dott (Sco) v Peter Ebdon (Eng)

Fergal O'Brien (Ire) v Neil Robertson (Aus)

Joe Perry (Eng) v Dominic Dale (Wal)

Ben Woollaston (Eng) v Yu Delu (Chn)