BEIJING, Apr. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese snooker star Ding Junhui celebrated his 27th birthday with a 5-1 victory over John Astley in 2014 World Snooker China Open here on Tuesday.
Famous players, like Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy, all advanced into the second round.
"I don't care too much about it. Winning or losing, it's OK," Ding talked about his birthday match.
After surrendering frame one at 71-22 to Astley, Ding recorded a break of 83 and 64 in frames three and five respectively.
After leading by 49-19, the world No. 3 successfully put the red into net from a long range, before the opponent suffered two fouls, which made Ding's win more comfortable.
Ding Junhui will play Thepchaiya Un-Nooth of Thailand in the second round on Wednesday.
World No. 2 Marc Selby overcame Stuart Carrington 5-3 after recording many turnovers.
"He's a good player. We faced once or twice before, and he played much better tonight," said Selby.
Selby came from a one-frame deficit to lead by 2-1, before he showed solid defense in frame four, forcing the opponent into a 32-point deduction.
However, Selby still suffered a 88-52 loss in the fourth frame, which tied the match at 2-2. Selby finally secured the victory in frame eight.
In other matches, Mark Williams upset Anthony McGill 5-3, Judd Trump defeated Kurt Maflin 5-1, John Higgins overcame Michael Wasley 5-2, and Shaun Murphy beat Jamie Cope 5-1.