China gets second ranking event in Shanghai

China's Ding Junhui will be able to play two ranking events on home soil next season after Tuesday's announcement that the inaugural Shanghai Masters will take place in August.

The new tournament, which is likely to feature Ding and all of the world's top 16 players, will kick off the 2007-2008 season at the 8,000-seater Shanghai Grand Stage in China's commercial capital from August 6 to 12, a World Snooker statement said.

China has become the main focus of snooker's attempts to break out of its British heartland and the statement said both the new tournament and the existing China Open in Beijing were guaranteed for the next five years.

"This completes the first stage of World Snooker's development plan which provides an excellent platform for us to move forward and exploit other opportunities," said Simon Leach, the organisation's representative in Beijing.

Ding, the first Chinese player to qualify for last month's world championship, has been widely tipped as a future champion.