Ding beats Stevens at UK Championship

Having resumed the session leading 7-1, Ding, however, wasted good positions to close out the match earlier.

Mark Selby defeated Ricky Walden 9-6, Mark Allen had a 141 clearance as he beat Tom Ford 9-5, while Stephen Maguire toppled Ken Doherty 9-6.

World champion Neil Robertson made breaks of 125 and 137 as he opened up a 7-1 lead over England's Rory McLeod.

McLeod took the first frame but Australian Robertson led 3-1 at the interval before extending that lead to six frames and leave him requiring only two more on Sunday to secure his passage in Telford.

Ding made a visit of 135 in the opening frame and took the second with breaks of 32 and 43.

Stevens racked up 57 in the next but Ding clinched the frame thanks to his superior safety shots and then went 4-0 ahead with a 97.

Stevens finally got off the mark in frame five but Ding led 7-1, scoring 101 in the seventh, going into the evening session.

Ding edged closer to victory in the second-session opener but Stevens won the next three frames before his resistance was ended by a break of 98.

Masters champion Selby and world number 19 Walden were level at 4-4 but the 'Jester from Leicester' won five of the evening's seven frames to progress.

Graeme Dott, the 2006 world champion, trails Martin Gould 5-3 going into Sunday's second session.

Another former Crucible winner Peter Ebdon produced successive centuries to lead 2-1 against Andrew Higginson but will resume on Sunday tied at 4-4.