Defending champion Mark Selby won a 42-minute deciding frame to beat Li Yuan 6-5 in the first round of the International Championship.

World number one Selby needed four hours and 17 minutes in total to shrug off a determined opponent in Daqing.

China’s Li, ranked 81, came from 4-3 down to lead 5-4 but Selby took frame ten with a break of 58 then won the decider by potting the final blue. He now meets Ken Doherty in the last 64.

World Champion Mark Williams and home favourite Ding Junhui both scored first round wins at the £775,000 world ranking event.

Ding had a tough test against Finland’s Robin Hull, winning 6-4. Breaks of 82 and 71 helped Ding build a 4-2 lead, before Hull fought back to 4-4. A superb 128 saw Ding regain the lead, and he finished the match in frame ten, earning a last 64 meeting with Zhang Anda.

Williams eased to a 6-1 win over Zhang Jiankang, knocking in runs of 92, 81 and 106. He now meets Sunny Akani.

Chinese teenager Yuan Sijun beat Kyren Wilson 6-2, making breaks of 62 and 70. English Open champion Stuart Bingham suffered a surprise 6-3 reverse against Eden Sharav, whose top run was 85.

Yan Bingtao top scored with 104 in a 6-0 win over Jimmy White while Ali Carter saw off Kurt Maflin 6-0 with a top run of 90.

source - worldsnooker