FROM SHANGHAI DAILYDING Junhui began his quest for the 2007 Shanghai Masters with a seemingly easy 5-2 win though the local favorite was given a decent test by compatriot Yu Delu before easing into the second round.The 20-year-old, ranked ninth in the world, booked a last-16 clash with Michael Holt or Graeme Dott.Ding, who won last season's opening tournament, the Northern Ireland Trophy, opened with a break of 97 against the 19-year-old wildcard at the Shanghai Grand Stage.A run of 76 gave him a 3-1 lead at the interval, although Yu, who upset world No. 53 Mike Dunn to reach the first round, hit back with a break of 75 to close the gap.However, Ding did enough to take the next two frames to close out the win, much to the delight of the crowd.Qualifier Adrian Gunnell continued his impressive early season form with a surprise 5-1 win over fellow Englishman Allister Carter.Gunnell, ranked 40 to Carter's 14th, had already played three matches to reach the first round, including beating local wildcard Jin Long on Monday.And he hit the ground running, blowing away Carter with runs of 51, 98, 79 and 67. The 34-year-old closed out victory in just under an hour to set up a last-16 match against either Ken Doherty or Dominic Dale.In another evening clash, Stephen Maguire, who is fifth in provisional rankings, eased past another Chinese wildcard Xiao Guodong 5-1, finishing with breaks of 98 and 123 in the final two frames.Maguire will face either Neil Robertson of Australia or Matthew Stevens of Wales in the second round.Earlier in the morning, world champion John Higgins got his season off to a solid start with a 5-2 victory over Jamie Cope.The Scot admitted to early-season nerves but held on for an impressive win over the promising English youngster.

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