Ding Junhui born 1 April 1987 is a Chinese professional snooker player and has been considered the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport. He began playing snooker at age 9, and rose to international prominence in 2002 after winning the Asian Under-21 Championship, the Asian Championship, and becoming the youngest winner of the IBSF World Under-21 Championship at age 15. in 2016 Ding won the Six-red World Championship.
Ding turned professional in 2003, at the age of 16. He achieved his first major professional successes in 2005 when he won the China Open and subsequently the UK Championship, becoming the first player from outside the British Isles to take the title.
Known as a prolific break-builder, Ding has compiled more than 500 century breaks in his career including six maximum breaks in professional play. He remains the only Asian player to be ranked world number one, a feat he first achieved in 2014 to become the 11th player to reach the top spot.