Sheffield (England), April 17 (IANS): China's former World No.1 Ding Junhui will play Mark Davies in the first round of the World Snooker Championship which starts here on Saturday.
Ding, the third seed, has not won a single ranking event this season. He beat 18th-ranked Davies in the second round of the China Open in Beijing last month, reports Xinhua.
World No.98 Zhang Anda of China is the lowest ranked qualifier, beating Liang Wenbo 10-9 in a Chinese derby.
Defending champion Mark Selby faces Kurt Maflin, who beat Steve Davis in a qualifier while Ronnie O'Sullivan takes on debutant Craig Steadman.
Four-time winner John Higgins faces Robert Milkins, Australian Neil Robertson plays Wales' Jamie Jones and England's Judd Trump takes on debutant Stuart Carrington.