Ding Junhui holds off Thepchaiya Un-Nooh challenge to claim second Six Red World Snooker Championship

Ding Junhui held his nerve superbly to secure a second Six Red World Championship with an 8-6 victory over home favourite Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in Bangkok. The Chinese sporting icon lifted the trophy in 2016 with a last-gasp 8-7 win over Stuart Bingham, but dominated the 14th frame before a vociferous home crown to avoid being forced to another final-frame decider.

Ad Ding joins Mark Davis (2012, 2013) and Stephen Maguire (2014, 2019) as a multiple winners of the elite invitational event and also earns a cheque for £100,000. Six-Red World ChampionshipThepchaiya and Ding to clash in Six Red World final after thrilling semi-final victoriesYESTERDAY AT 12:00 He defeated Maguire (5-2), world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan (6-2), 2015 world champion Bingham (6-2) and German Masters finalist Tom Ford (7-4) in his run to the showpiece match, but had to find some of his best form to repel the threat of Un-Nooh, winner of the Six Red trophy on home soil in 2015.

It his first major title victory since lifting his third UK title in 2019 with a 10-6 win over Maguire. It is also ideal timing as the former Master winner bids to become China's first world champion with 15 reds next month at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Ding had sped 2-0 clear with opening breaks of 72 and 71, but his opponent rose to the challenge superbly to restore parity at 2-2 at the Thammasat University Convention Centre in Pathum Thani. Another Ding surge saw him win three straight frames for a 5-2 advantage only for the spirited Un-Nooh to close to 5-4 behind.

A key moment of a taut contest saw Thepchaiya escape from a snooker in the 11th frame by hitting yellow only to see the object ball plant itself onto the pink and land in the right middle. Ding produced a