Peter Ebdon goes into the defence of his China Open title desperate to retain the trophy, which he claims was the best win of his career.
Former world champion eyes title defence in Beijing
Peter Ebdon goes into the defence of his China Open title desperate to retain the trophy, which he claims was the best win of his career.
Ebdon won the 2002 World Championship at the Crucible and also the 2006 UK Championship, one of only ten players ever to have won the top two events on the circuit.
The 39-year-old, however, cites last year's China Open success as his finest hour in snooker, and is desperate to regain the trophy.
The action starts in Beijing on Monday, with Ebdon the defending champion after beating John Higgins 10-8 in the final 12 months ago - a result which kept him in the elite top 16 in the world.
"I go to China with great determination," said Ebdon. "I put my heart and soul into winning it last year, it was a massive effort. Now I need to do it again because my top 16 place is under threat."
Problems
Ebdon says his success was his best ever considering the personal problems he was going through at the time - with the break-up of his 20-year relationship with wife Deborah.
"I was in a state mentally, and my game wasn't there," he added. "Because of what I was going through in my personal life, I would have to rate winning in China as my greatest ever victory.
"Even ahead of the UK Championship, when I played my best ever snooker, and the World Championship, which is my most significant win.
"I'm incredibly proud of what I achieved in Beijing. It's also very important to do well in China because it's such a huge and developing market, the people are fanatical about snooker."
Ebdon will face young Bristolian faces Judd Trump in his opening match on Wednesday, and he feels he is in decent form ahead of the tournament - and the following World Championship.
Form
"My game is heading in the right direction," Ebdon said. "China is a stepping stone to the World Championship, you need to peak at the right time and be in the best possible shape mentally and physically."
After 16 straight seasons in the top 16 in the world, Ebdon again finds his position under threat, as he is currently 18th in the standings with just the China Open and World Championship left to play
The wildcard rounds form Monday's action, with Neil Robertson playing Mike Dunn in the first round proper on Tuesday, where home hero Ding Junhui opens the evening session against Gerard Greene.
World Champion Higgins faces Fergal O'Brien, while Mark Allen plays Graeme Dott and Stephen Maguire goes up against Barry Hawkins.
