DAQING, North China, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese No.1 seed Ding Junhui moved past his compatriot Liang Wenbo with a 6-5 victory at the Snooker International Championships here on Wednesday.

The veteran player gained the upper hand at first, leading 4-1, and though losing two match points later, he managed to withstand the fightback from Liang and won in the end.

The two vied with each other seven times before Liang moved ahead with four wins.

Ding, who gathered momentum after struggling with a sluggish season last year, notched his third Chinese Derby triumph after beating Zhao Xintong and Xiao Guodong and securing a tense 6-5 victory over German rising star Simon Lichtenberg in the postponed qualifier.

He will face defending champion Mark Allen of Northern Ireland in the forthcoming quarterfinal.