London, April 29 (H.S.): Chinese snooker star Ding Junhui was eliminated from the Snooker World Championship on Monday. He was defeated by reigning champion Luca Brecel of Belgium with a significant margin of 13-4. Meanwhile, his compatriot and young player Si Jiahui has reached the tournament’s quarterfinals for the second consecutive time.

The 38-year-old Ding was already close to defeat before Monday’s final session, trailing 12-4 behind Brecel. On Monday, Brecel secured the match in just 15 minutes with a break of 71 points. He will now face world number one Judd Trump in the quarterfinals. Ding, who has 15 ranking titles to his name, has yet to win the world championship title. This year, he made it to the second round of the tournament for the first time in five years by defeating Germany’s Zak Surety 10-7.

On the other hand, 22-year-old Si Jiahui displayed an impressive performance as he defeated Britain’s Ben Woollaston 13-10 to advance to the quarterfinals. The world number 13 Si will now face seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan from Britain in a bid to secure a spot in the semifinals. O’Sullivan defeated China’s Pang Junxu 13-4.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar