Snooker curse that hurt Ronnie O'Sullivan is broken by wonderkid dubbed 'Luke Littler'

The Ding curse that has plagued snooker's top stars is finally over. However, it's not world No.1 Judd Trump or the iconic Ronnie O'Sullivan, who has finally put it to bed, but a teenager called Stan Moody.

The 18-year-old became the first player in 22 tournaments to beat Ding Junhui and then win his next knockout match. He did so at the Wuhan Open, overcoming Ding 5-3 first up before hammering Zhou Yuelong 5-1. The latter win ended a remarkable 18-month saga in the sport that dates back to the 2024 Players Championship.

Moody's quality has already seen him compared to darts sensation Luke Littler. Unlike 'The Nuke' in darts, he's yet to make an impact in the World Championship at the Crucible, but current form suggests he's a star in the making.

This month, he reached the fourth round of the Saudi Arabia Masters in Jeddah before falling short against China's Yuan Sijun. But he bounced back emphatically against the former world No.1 Ding, and after that match, Moody lauded both his performance and the atmosphere.

"As the match went on I got better and better," he said. "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."

Unlike his win over Zhou, Moody had to endure a tense finale against Ding. But showing his growing maturity, Moody explained how he kept his composure as the home favourite fought back.

"I lost a frame for him to get back to 4-3," he added. "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."