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China holds its breath as glory beckons for snooker player

Calum Macleod, Beijing

The Times

Ding Junhui is the most successful Asian player in the history of snookerDan Mullan/Getty Images

Another all-nighter beckoned for millions of Chinese sports fans yesterday as Ding Junhui, Asia’s most successful snooker player, resumed his match against England’s Mark Selby to decide the final of the snooker world championship.

British audiences for their clash in Sheffield will not match those of snooker’s TV heyday in the mid-1980s but Ding’s presence, as the first Asian player to reach the two-day final, could set records in China. About 100 million people are expected to tune in.

The huge wave of interest will lift an already popular sport that for many Chinese confirms their view of England as

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