Ding Junhui was in brilliant form on Tuesday night at the Brighton Centre as he sent veteran Jimmy White crashing out of the British Open.

Teenager Ding powered his way to a 5-1 victory against White and made sure of a place in the last 16 of a ranking event tournament for the first time.

Former world U-21 champion Ding beat Tony Drago 5-0 on Monday and claimed an even bigger scalp on Tuesday as he boosted his ever-growing reputation as a potential tournament winner.

The 17-year-old Chinese sensation surged into a 3-0 lead, making a 104 in the third frame, his eighth century of the season.

The next two were shared and then White looked in command of the sixth frame on a break of 60. But Ding made a 45 clearance to seal the result.

"I had a lot of pressure, especially on a long red and a long blue in the last frame," admitted Ding. "It's the best win I've ever had."

Ding will meet Stephen Maguire, the defending European Open champion, this morning.

"It's not easy to win. No match is easy at this level," added Ding, who admitted that his boyhood hero was Ronnie O'Sullivan rather than White.

"I lost 5-2 to Stephen Maguire in the qualifying rounds of the Irish Masters last year. I'm looking forward to the match. I look forward to every match."

World no.11 White was gallant in defeat and predicted that his teenage opponent will one day be crowned world champion.

"He's a very good player. I think he can be world champion one day. He's improved so much since the Masters last year," White said.

"When you are that young you are just fearless. He's a fantastic prospect and very dangerous. He's working at the same stable as Peter Ebdon (at the Snooker Academy in Wellingborough), which is a great snooker environment. It's a great set-up down there."

Second round: Hawkins bt Ebdon 5-3; Carter bt McManus 5-2; Murphy bt Hunter 5-3; Williams bt Jogia 5-1.