Ding potted 12 reds and 12 blacks to rack up 96 points but after knocking in the 13th red he screwed back up the table to get position on the blue.
The world number three suddenly realised what he had done and held his head in his hands before starting to giggle along with his first-round opponent Mark Davis.
He composed himself before attempting a very difficult cut on the black but was unable to keep the break going when his shot missed.
Ding would have pocketed 30,000 pounds ($44,700) for a maximum break, which has only been achieved 10 times in the world championships at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
(Reporting by Ed Osmond; Editing by John O'Brien)
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