Selby's withdrawal hands Ding bye to quarter-final Mark Selby of England competes during the first round of the China Open snooker tou...

Selby's withdrawal hands Ding bye to quarter-final

Mark Selby of England competes during the first round of the China Open snooker tournament in Beijing, March 27, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ronnie O'Sullivan of England competes against Mark Williams during the second round of the the China Open snooker tournament in Beijing, March 29, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- China snooker sensation Ding Junhui received an unexpected bye to the quarter-finals of the China Open after world No. 1 Mark Selby withdrew due to neck injury just hours before their second-round match on Thursday.

"I have been suffering with neck pain and I struggled through my first round match," said Selby in a statement.

"I don't want to do any more damage, especially with the World Championship coming up, so I'm going back to the UK to get some treatment. "

A World Snooker official confirmed Selby's withdrawal at a press conference with the 28-year-old Englishman absent and announced that Ding, currently world No. 4, advanced to the last eight as a result.

Selby, the beaten finalist in the China Open last year, also apologized to the local fans who have long anticipated the mouth-watering showdown.

"I'm absolutely gutted to have to pull out and to let down the Chinese fans as I was really looking forward to playing Ding tonight," he said in the statement.

The organizers said that the fans who had bought Thursday's tickets could choose either to be refunded at full price or to watch Ding's quarter-final match on Friday.

Ding, who turns 25 on March 31, said that he felt very "sorry" for Selby's injury and exit.

"Ding was surprised to hear the news," his agent Zhang Meng told Xinhua.

"I've got well along with Selby, so I feel very sorry for him and wish him a quick recovery," said Ding.

The scheduled matchup should have been the third meeting between the home star and Selby in Beijing. Ding conquered Selby 5-3 in the second round in the 2010 China Open, but Selby avenged the following year with a 6-3 win in the semifinals.

Ding will next play the winner of the match between compatriot Lu Ning and Allister Carter, which was moved to Table One after the Ding-Selby tie was canceled.

As for being given a bye into the last eight, Ding thought it may not be all positive things.

"Certainly it's good to have more rest, but on the other hand, if you rest too long, you'll possibly lose the form," he said.

The China Open is the last ranking event before the season-ending world championship next month.