Snooker, thanks in part to Ding’s efforts, has become increasingly popular in China and there has always been a belief within the game that an Asian world champion will bolster efforts to increase snooker’s global appeal beyond its traditional heartlands in Britain and Ireland.
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McManus, who wins 66,000 pounds is up to 20th in the rankings, said: “Overall I am a bit disappointed”.
Hearn played down the prospect of snooker moving away from Sheffield when the new deal expires.
However, a severe loss of form saw Ding drop out of the world’s top 16 and meant he had to come through qualifying in order to gain a place in the main draw for this year’s World Championship.
“Sheffield is synonymous with the Crucible”, Hearn told The Yorkshire Post.
“The last session is probably the best I’ve played in the match, I hung in there and kept clinging on”, said the man nicknamed “The Jester from Leicester”.
But World Snooker chairman Hearn said: “The Crucible is where we come from, there’s the history, that’s where the deal’s for”.
It was so almost a repeat of that final in this year’s World Championship. It was just a case of finding a reasonable common ground with the financials and investment.
Had it cracked, Fu would have been in deep trouble, but the 38-year-old was able to return to the arena after an anxious 10 minutes to resume his break, which he stretched out to a frame-winning 81 and nudged 8-7 ahead.
However, Selby, 32, won three of the next four to stay ahead. Frame 31 presented the Englishman with the possibility of moving to within a frame of victory or allowing Ding to further reduce the cushion.
Glasgow cueman McManus is confident Ding can carry off the title. Ding then pulled another frame back, this time making a sublime break of 103.
Ding’s challenge appeared all but over after falling five behind, but a run of three frame wins in succession to reduce the deficit to two piled the pressure on Selby.
Mark Selby held off numerous fight backs by qualifier Ding Junhui to seal the 2016 World Championship with an 18-14 victory at the Crucible.
He did have some good fortune, though. Selby played a clever cross double on the red to set up a 36 clearance which included an excellent thin cut on the final black with the long rest.
It was a similar story in frame 23.
The pair exchanged the last couple of frames of the afternoon session, Ding firing in a 52, before Selby replied with a 55.
But it took a gutsy fightback in the last two frames of the session against Selby to avoid a whitewash that could have effectively ended Ding’s title bid nearly before it began. Ding has proved he’s a great break builder.
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Fu hit back with a 108 before Selby clinched a nervy 21st frame 65-43. “I don’t get too excited or nervous, and that is down to Terry’s influence”, said Ding.
