Junhui Ding vs Scott Donaldson Prediction: Three time UK Championship title holder Ding Junhui hopes to make it four

Junhui Ding vs Scott Donaldson: Prediction for the match on December 03, 2025

Another Snooker tournament is here again and this time it is the UK Championship. The round of 16 will have World snooker 8th ranked Junhui Ding and world snooker 52nd ranked Elliot Slessor face each other. All action will be held at York Barbican in York. Scott Donaldson is coming from four wins and a loss, while. Junhui Ding has won three matches and lost two in the last five matches. Who will win this next round of snooker? At Telecom Asia, we look at the match’s preview and offer free betting opportunities.

Junhui Ding recent form

Ding Junhui recorded a 5-3 victory over Xu Si. The Dragon is pegged back from 3-1 up, but breaks of 92 and 109 put him back in the ascendancy. Home hero Ding Junhui further extended his winning streak to three at the World Snooker International Championship in east China's Nanjing, overcoming England's Liam Highfield 6-4 on Tuesday to enter the round of 16. Ding Junhui showcased his snooker supremacy at the WST International Championship, defeating Michael Holt 6-1 with a stunning 134-point break. Ding will now face Liam Highfield in the next round. Ding Junhui tries to fight back from three snookers down vs Shaun Murphy. Junhui Ding showed a super par performance in the quarterfinals of the World Tour championship game against Kyren Wilson. His victory was not an easy one but tough but he established himself on the front foot with a 1-6 early. Wilson tried to come from behind to get a win but only added 4 points extra to keep the score final margin at 5-6. He took part in the World Tour championship in 2025 and faced Mark Williams in the round of 16. In that encounter, Junhui Ding had a 3-5 lead after the first part and then scored five points in the second part while Williams struggled. Yet, despite his amazing game, He struggled prior to this tournament. Ding Junhui the first man in history to score a maximum 147 twice at snooker's Masters tournament. He has won only one of his last four matches, where he lost to fellow countrymate Xu Si and then against Shaun Murphy and Mark Williams. Ahead of this game, Junhui Ding has won twice in his last three meetings against Selby and will eye a similar result. Ahead of this game, He is ranked 10 among the global snooker players.

Junhui Ding strength

Ding is one of the most underrated snooker players of the tour. The first Chinese, and Asian, player to ever win the Masters, and the best Chinese and Asian origin player to date on the tour. He has a unique start with his game. 

Scott Donaldson Recent Form

Donaldson S. has been on an exciting journey through recent matches. On 6 September 2025, he won 4-2 against Kowalski A. in the NIO. A few days earlier, on 3 September 2025, he claimed a strong 5-1 victory over McGuigan R. at the Grand Prix. But not all was smooth sailing. On 26 August 2025, Donaldson lost 5-2 to Un-Nooh T. in the World Open. However, he bounced back on 25 August 2025, winning 5-2 against Taylor Al. In the SAM event on 9 August 2025, he fell short, losing 4-3 to Bingyu C. In the Championship League on 1 July 2025, Donaldson lost 3-1 to Selt M. but drew 2-2 with Dikme U. He also won 3-1 against Quinn F. on the same day. Earlier, in the British Open on 25 June 2025, Donaldson won 4-2 against Chadha I., and in the World Open on 23 June 2025, he beat Mann M. 5-4. Each match has been a mix of challenges and triumphs, making Donaldson’s journey full of excitement and learning. Bai Yulu comes back from 5-3 down to defeat Scott Donaldson 6-5, making a brilliant match-winning break of 70 in the decider. The women’s world champion is one win away from making history and qualifying for the UK Championship. Scott Donaldson books a spot at next week's 2024 Championship League Snooker Finals Day after topping Group A with 7 points. Donaldson beat Chris Wakelin & Thepchaiya Un-Nooh before securing first with a 2-2 draw against Fan Zhengyi.

Scott Donaldson Strength

Runner-up at both the English & Scottish Opens earlier this season, 21-year-old Wu Yize ousts Scott Donaldson 4-3 to reach the last 32 of the Welsh Open. Wu could still finish top of this season's Home Nations Series rankings and pocket a £150,000 bonus.

Junhui Ding vs Scott Donaldson: Betting Insights, Tips & Odds

• A record 12 Chinese players have reached the Last 32 at this year’s UK Championship, beating the previous best of 9 (2020). Proof of the impact Ding Junhui and world champion Zhao Xintong have had on the sport, and both are in action.
• John Higgins completes today's action with a 4 - 0 victory over Ding Junhui. Two consecutive breaks of 106 helped "The Wizard of Wishaw" seal the win.
• The three-time UK Champion, Kyren Wilson, whitewashed amateur Ayman Alamri 4-0 in the Saudi capital to set up the tie.
• Scott Donaldson, the 30-year-old former Championship League Winner, was forced to retire from his World Snooker Championship due to tremors that started after the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.
• Scott Donaldson, David Gilbert, Michael Holt, Lyu Haotian, Stephen Maguire, Elliot Slessor, Ben Woollaston and Zhou Yuelong have all qualified for the main stages of the UK Championship in York.
• A break of 110 in Frame 8 enables Scott Donaldson to become the latest player to reach 100 career century breaks.

Junhui Ding vs Scott Donaldson Prediction

Ding Junhui, a three-time UK Championship title holder, loves playing in York. The defending champion kept his strong form, beating England's Michael Holt 6-1 with two century breaks to reach the round of 32 at the World Snooker International Championship in Nanjing, China. I’m happy to see Scott Donaldson through, especially since he's been having a tough time. However, Mark Allen’s performance was really poor. I enjoyed the commentary by Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis, showing that commentators don’t need to talk nonstop. While Scott Donaldson played well, he wouldn’t have beaten any other seeded player in that draw. I’m picking Ding Junhui to win this round.

Our match prediction is Under 9.5 Frames with odds available at 1.61 on the 1Xbet bookmaker.

Our betting tip is Junhui Ding first frame winner with odds available at 1.60 on the Betway bookmaker.

Our last match prediction is +2.5 Handicap Scott Donaldson with odds at 1.80 on the Bet365 bookmaker