Ding was defeated in the first round of the next two consecutive tournaments, losing 5–2 to Stephen Maguire in the 2007 Malta Cup and 5–1 to Jamie Cope in the Welsh Open. In March 2007, Ding qualified for the televised stages of the World Championship for the first time after beating Mark Davis in the final qualifying round. His losing streak in ranking tournaments continued, with a 5–3 loss to Barry Hawkins in the first round of the China Open and a 10–2 loss against O'Sullivan at the World Championship. Despite this, Ding ended the 2006–07 season ranked world number 11.