How curious 'Ding Junhui curse' struck again at snooker's Saudi Arabia Masters as three-year hex continues
By Desmond Kane
Updated 14/08/2025 at 21:48 GMT+1
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The "Crucible Curse" has been part of snooker folklore since 1977, with no maiden winner of the World Championship managing to successfully defend the famous trophy in Sheffield. But a curious hex continued to haunt the game at Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Jeddah, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, involving Ding Junhui and several of the sport's leading players.
Wilson lets out huge roar after stealing frame to wrap up thrilling Shanghai Masters victory
Video credit: TNT Sports
The "Ding Junhui Curse" has been running for 23 tournaments, 44 matches and three seasons, but shows no signs of being broken after the early events of the new 2025/26 campaign.
The curious curse has seen every player to beat Chinese sporting icon Ding in a major professional tournament suffer defeat in the next round, a run stretching back to the Players Championship in February 2024.
John Higgins overcame the former UK and Masters champion Ding 6-4 in the last 16 of the Players event in Telford before losing to Zhang Anda by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals.
It triggered a similar downfall of some of the biggest names in the sport, including Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy (twice), Mark Allen, Luca Brecel, Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter.
The Ding Curse continues to be a live issue with Trump's 10-4 win over Ding in the World Open final in Yushan in March 2024 preventing him from facing a fresh opponent.
But the world No. 1 did lose his next competitive outing, 10-4 to Williams in the last eight of the Tour Championship in Manchester.
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World champion Zhao Xintong was then hit by the hex as he crashed out of the Shanghai Masters semi-finals against Kyren Wilson in the semi-finals 10-5 on Saturday.
After producing two centuries to lead Wilson 5-4 after the first session, Zhao's confidence appeared to fall off a cliff as he shipped six straight frames to suffer a shock exit with his majestic scoring form deserting him.
It was a surreal loss, his first in 27 matches, after he had produced some sublime levels to overcome childhood hero Ding 6-1 in the quarter-finals, including breaks of 134, 132 and 118.
The latest occurrence came at the Saudi Arabia Masters, after Ding was beaten 6-5 by Barry Hawkins in the round of 16.
Hawkins followed up that victory with a quarter-final defeat by the same scoreline against Chris Wakelin.
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The last player to eclipse Ding and progress beyond the next round was former British Open semi-finalist Robbie Williams at the 2024 Welsh Open, when he followed up a 4-2 win in the last 64 with a 4-2 last-32 success against Adam Duffy before going out 4-0 to Mark Allen in the last 16.
New Shanghai Masters champion Wilson, who became a two-time winner of the tournament with an 11-9 win over Carter a decade after his first triumph, is one of the few leading men not to have been struck by the curse.
"I did hear about the curse. It’s a mad stat," said Wilson. "Maybe Ding Junhui is so good he takes it out of you when you beat him. Who knows? It’s a crazy stat. I am sure Ding enjoys it."
The Ding Curse might be running for three seasons, but it has a long way to go to touch the ongoing "Crucible Curse" which has been 48 years in the making.
Wilson's 10-9 defeat to Lei Peifan in the first round of the World Championship ensured it survived for another season with Zhao set to be the next player to attempt to break it next April.
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Ding Junhui and the curious three-season curse
2023/24
Players Championship
- Last 16: Ding Junhui lost 6-4 to John Higgins
- Quarter-finals: Higgins lost 6-4 to Zhang Anda
World Masters
- Last 16: Ding lost 4-3 to Ali Carter
- Quarter-finals: Carter lost 4-1 to Luca Brecel
World Open
- Final: Ding lost 10-4 to Judd Trump
Tour Championship
- Quarter-finals: Trump lost 10-4 to Mark Williams
- Quarter-finals: Ding lost 10-8 to Mark Allen
- Semi-finals: Allen lost 10-5 to Williams
World Championship
- Last 32: Ding lost 10-9 to Jack Lisowski
- Last 16: Lisowski lost 13-11 to Stuart Bingham
2024/25
Shanghai Masters
- Quarter-finals: Ding lost 6-3 to Ronnie O'Sullivan
- Semi-finals: O'Sullivan lost 10-3 to Trump
Xi'an Grand Prix
- First round: Lost 5-4 to Alfie Burden
- Second round: Burden lost 5-4 to Xu Si
Saudi Arabia Masters
- Last 32: Ding lost 5-4 to Stuart Bingham
- Last 16: Bingham lost 6-2 to Williams
British Open
- First round: Ding lost 4-3 to Aaron Hill
- Second round: Hill lost 4-1 to Allen
Wuhan Open
- Last 16: Ding lost 5-3 to Chris Wakelin
- Quarter-finals: Wakelin lost 5-4 to Trump
Champion of Champions
- Last 16: Ding lost 4-0 to Trump
- Quarter-finals: Trump lost 6-4 to Neil Robertson
UK Championship
- Last 16: Ding lost 6-5 to Shaun Murphy
- Quarter-finals: Murphy lost 6-2 to Barry Hawkins
Scottish Open
- Last 16: Ding lost 4-3 to Brecel
- Quarter-finals: Brecel lost 5-1 to Xiao Guodong
Riyadh Season Championship
- Quarter-finals: Ding lost 4-0 to O'Sullivan
- Semi-finals: O'Sullivan lost 4-2 to Allen
The Masters
- Quarter-finals: Ding lost 6-3 to Trump
- Semi-finals: Trump lost 6-3 to Kyren Wilson
German Masters
- Second round: Ding lost to Ross Muir after withdrawing
- Third round: Muir lost 5-2 to Yuan Sijun
World Open
- Last 16: Ding lost 5-2 to Shaun Murphy
- Quarter-finals: Murphy lost 5-1 to Joe O'Connor
World Grand Prix
- Last 32: Ding lost 4-3 to Xu
- Last 16: Xu lost 4-3 to Hossein Vafaei
Players Championship
- Last 16: Ding lost 6-2 to Williams
- Quarter-finals: Williams lost 6-3 to Wilson
Tour Championship
- Semi-finals: Ding lost 10-2 to Mark Selby
- Final: Selby lost 10-8 to Higgins
World Championship
- Last 16: Ding lost 13-4 to Brecel
- Quarter-finals: Brecel lost 13-8 to Trump
2025/26
Shanghai Masters
- Quarter-finals: Ding lost 6-1 to Zhao Xintong
- Semi-finals: Zhao lost 10-5 to Wilson
Saudi Arabia Masters
- Last 16: Ding lost 6-5 to Barry Hawkins
- Quarter-finals: Hawkins lost 6-5 to Chris Wakelin
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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Saudi Arabia Masters, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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