Luke Littler of snooker, 18, becomes first player to break Ding curse after three seasons and 22 tournaments

Published on August 26, 2025 at 01:59 PM
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STAN MOODY has broken the Ding curse after achieving the biggest win of his career.

The 18-year-old snooker sensation, who has earned comparisons to darts star Luke Littler , is into round three at the Wuhan Open .

Stan Moody playing snooker.
Stan Moody has ended the Ding curse
Ding Junhui chalking his cue.
Players who beat Ding Junhui had failed to beat their next opponent on 22 consecutive occasions

He did so in emphatic style, thrashing Zhou Yuelong.

In doing so he has finally ended the Ding curse, becoming the first player to win a match after defeating Ding Junhui in 23 attempts.

The Ding curse has lasted 18 months and 22 tournaments – it started at the 2024 Players Championship when John Higgins beat Ding before losing to Zhang Anda.

Moody defeated Ding 5-3 in the previous round to carry on his impressive form from the Saudi Arabia Masters.

The teenager reached the fourth round in Jeddah this month – the furthest he has reached in a ranking tournament.

He said after beating former UK Championship winner Ding: “As the match went on I got better and better. I knew I needed to get over the line, but I felt very nervous. I’m very happy with the win.

“It was a fantastic experience. I knew what it would be like, with the crowd clapping every shot.

“When he got flukes they were cheering. I tried to enjoy it, view myself as the underdog and take the pressure off. I really enjoyed it.

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“I lost a frame for him to get back to 4-3. I just tried to think about how much pressure he had with hundreds of millions of people wanting him to win.

“I tried my best to keep my head straight.”

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