Ding is new Ming

A massive television audience in China watched 19-year-old Ding reach the final of the Masters, eventually losing 10-3 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

And Zhang Xiaodong, director of the Multi-ball Administrative Centre - the governing body of the sport in China, told the China Daily: "Ding is already a superstar.

"He has the same reputation here as (NBA star) Yao Ming and (Olympic 110m gold medalist) Liu Xiang because he has brought snooker to an unprecedented height."

The teenager has already leaped from 27 in the world rankings to provisional number five and looks to boost that position further when he faces Stephen Maguire in the last 32 of the Malta Cup on Monday.