China’s Ding Junhui swept past England’s Shaun Murphy 6-2 on Saturday to reach the Welsh Open snooker final.

The 24-year-old, who laid the foundations for victory by taking a 4-1 lead in the best-of-11-frame clash, will tackle Mark in Sunday’s final. Selby defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-2.

It will be Ding’s first ranking final since he lost to Mark Williams in the 2010 China Open.

“The past couple of years have been difficult because I have been travelling to and from China so I haven’t been able to practise properly,” said Ding.

“If I stay here for two or three months, then I miss home and I want to go to China for a week.

“In the last few weeks, I have had my best practice for a long time and I feel my game is getting better. I’m really happy to be in the final and I played well today.”

Murphy praised Ding for his contribution to the sport, both on and off the table.

“Ding is very hard to read but he’s a lovely lad and a credit to the game,” he said.