Ding beat Hendry in the 2005 China Open final

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry believes Chinese snooker players could be the best in the world if they could play more on home soil.

"Their results would be far better if there was qualifying for the major events in China," said Hendry.

"At 16 or 17 they must find it difficult travelling to Britain to spend months of the year here playing in the holiday camps.

"So it is to their credit that they are still performing as well as they do."

Ding Junhui, the world number 14, is the highest profile snooker star in China.

The 22-year-old has won three ranking tournaments - the UK Championship, China Open and Northern Ireland Trophy - although the last of those was three years ago.

"Ding probably hasn't been as successful as he was when he first came on the scene," said Hendry.

"But now we've got Liang Wenbo who won the Beijing TV tournament during the summer and played fantastic.

The Chinese players are fearless in the way they play snooker Stephen Hendry

"And there are more players coming on the scene. So it's not just about Ding now which is great.

"It's a good thing for Ding all these other players coming along because it's taking a little bit of pressure off him.

"Wenbo is a different character to Ding. He's more outgoing, more extroverted. Ding is very much like I was when I first turned professional, very shy, doesn't like being around a crowd and speaking to people and only wants to play snooker.

"But this season you might find Ding having a good season because there are fewer expectations because he's not won anything for a few years."

Liang is the Chinese Number Two

The former world number one thinks the Chinese style adds something extra for spectators.

"The Chinese players are fearless in the way they play snooker," added the Scot.

"The odd player plays the more measured percentage game, but the majority tend to go for everything.

"They see a pot and they go for it which is a great way to play snooker."

Hendry has his sights set on victory in the upcoming Shanghai Masters, which gets under way on 7 September.

"I'd really love to win in Shanghai," he said.

"Where we play in the Grand Stage, it is an incredible venue.

"It holds 2500 and for a final with Ronnie O'Sullivan, or John Higgins or me against Ding or Wenbo it would be full - and the atmosphere would just be incredible."

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