YORK (England), Dec 19: Chinese teenager Ding Junhui confirmed his status as a superstar in the making when he beat six-time world champion Steve Davis 10-6 to win the UK Championship on Sunday.

Ding, just 18, and 30 years Davis’s junior, held his nerve in a marathon 16th frame of their scheduled 19-frame encounter to become the second youngest winner of the tournament.

The China Open champion also became the first player from outside the British Isles to win the event in its 28-year history. Ding missed two pinks that would have secured the title in the 16th frame but Davis, who needed a snooker to keep the contest alive, inadvertently potted it for him to hand the Chinese player the title.—AFP