First Three-Match Winning Streak! Ding Junhui Reaches Season's First Quarterfinal and Faces World No. 8

In the 2026 English Open round of 16, Ding Junhui defeated Joe O'Connor 4-1, securing his first three-match winning streak of the season and his first quarterfinal place of the campaign.

Ding Junhui, who had become accustomed to early exits this season, finally showed signs of recovery. In this match, he produced breaks of 59, 51 and 80 points to win three consecutive frames and defeat the world No. 31 O'Connor 4-1.

Statistics show that this is Ding Junhui's first quarterfinal appearance of the season, creating his best result of the campaign. It is also his first three-match winning streak this season and the first time in his career that he has defeated O'Connor, after losing their previous two meetings.

Next, Ding Junhui will face world No. 8 Kyren Wilson in the quarterfinals. The two players have met 18 times previously, with Ding holding an 8-10 record. Their last two meetings both came in the previous season, when Ding recorded back-to-back wins over Wilson at the International Championship and the Tour Championship.

Wilson has defeated Chinese players several times this season, including the winners of the previous two World Championships, Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize. Over the past year or more, Ding Junhui has suffered 11 consecutive defeats against players ranked inside the world top 16. Whether he can break through at 20:00 tonight remains to be seen.