China's Ding Junhui steadies his snooker cue during the Nongfu Spring World Cup in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. (Photo : www.worldsnooker.com)
China’s A and B teams reached the top spot in their respective groups at the Nongfu Spring World Cup Snooker in Wuxi with an impressive 5-0 victory on Wednesday.
The host nation's A team, comprised of Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong, outplayed Austria 5-0 to take first place in Group A with 13 points. Malta gained 12 points following a shocking 3-2 loss against Singapore, while India also bagged 12 thanks to a 5-0 over Norway.
Two more rounds of group games are to be played, with the top two in each group progressing to the quarterfinals.
China's B team, formed by teenagers Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao, bested a 5-0 win over UAE. Both teams now have 11 points, just ahead of Thailand, who defeated Republic of Ireland 3-2. English duo Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham are in fourth place on eight points after a 4-1 win over Germany.
The 39-year-old Bingham, the current world champion, said that it was a good win despite ranking in fourth.
"Hopefully we can push on now and qualify from what is the toughest group. It will probably come down to our last match against Ireland. We've got to beat UAE first to stay in with a chance," he said.
Belgium retained a narrow lead in Group B at 11 points following their 3-2 win over Hong Kong. Scottish pair John Higgins and Stephen Maguire are a point behind following a 4-1 win over Malaysia, while Brazil's 4-1 upset of Iran kept them in contention with nine points.
In Group C, Williams and Michael White of Wales gained 13 points with a 4-1 win over Qatar, while Northern Ireland's Gerard Greene and Joe Swail are on second with 11 points after defeating Australia 3-2.
Neil Robertson of Australia said: "We have shown improvement as the week has gone on. There are still ten frames to be played so we need to win as many as possible and see if it's enough."
