Wilson beats tenacious Jones to win world title
- Wilson clinches victory over Jones in a thrilling showdown, securing the world title with tenacious determination.
An emotional Kyren Wilson secured his first world title with a nervy 18-14 victory over Jak Jones at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
At the end of the final session on Monday, the 32-year-old was ahead 15–10 and was close to winning at 17–11.
However, Welsh qualifier Jones, who had trailed 7-0 at one point, bravely won three straight sets, and a giddy Wilson cried out and shouted out as he declared victory.
“I apologize to Jak for that outburst, but it really means a lot to all of us. “My parents have taken on a mortgage repayment and given up their entire lives to bring me here,” Wilson stated on BBC Two.
We have been on a true emotional rollercoaster since I was six years old, so it was wonderful to have the family present and share our feelings. I had dreamed of this moment.
“I have given everything, I held myself together, kept myself composed and Jak fought and fought and made it so difficult for me.”
The Englishman had an unimpressive campaign and dealt with difficult family matters outside of the game, so he entered the tournament unseen.
Nonetheless, he demonstrated that he was a deserving recipient of the £500,000 top prize after playing perhaps the best snooker of his career during the 17-day competition.
In what is considered the ultimate test of the sport, it also gave him a chance at redemption following his 18-8 loss to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2020 World Championship final.
While there was no fairytale finale for Jones, the unassuming Welshman – who came into the event as a 200-1 outsider – has garnered plenty of admirers for his great matchplay and wonderful attitude.
At the Crucible, Jones was just the ninth qualifier in 47 years to get it to the final and was so close to following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Terry Griffiths (1979) and Shaun Murphy (2005) by winning the championship all the way.
“I’ve had an amazing tournament experience. I was twitching in my first qualifying match about a month ago. It’s been a long month but I’m satisfied with it,” he remarked.
“I am proud because, to be honest, I don’t think I have played that well. It gives me confidence to be able to defeat some of the world’s best players and make it to the finals, where I was so close to winning.”
And there will also be a place for him alongside the game’s elite when the rankings are revised this month, with Jones climbing from 44th to 14th in the world as a result of his stunning journey to the final – which saw him come through two qualification matches and spend 22 hours longer in action than his opponent.
For Wilson, who faced Jones in their first competition at Q School in 2011, this is a moment that has long been in the making.
Since then, their paths have taken very different turns: Wilson has won six ranking events, while Jones has been kicked off the professional tour twice.
He had, however, failed to cross the finish line in one of the Triple Crown competitions up until this point, losing to Mark Allen in the 2018 Masters final and choosing to reassemble some aspects of his game following his loss to O’Sullivan four years prior.
Wilson now jumps nine places to end the campaign third in the global rankings, behind new number one Allen and Judd Trump.
“I believe I can be a multiple world champion and I’d be disappointed if I only landed one,” added Wilson.
“That first one has got to be the hardest. Nobody can take that away from me since I’ve got it off my back.”
He has hardly looked back since building a decisive 7-0 lead on the first day to create a scoreline last seen in 1991 when John Parrott won the first seven sets against Jimmy White.
Additionally, he has had a fortunate streak of winning potentially crucial frames. On Sunday night, he managed to escape at an advantage of 11–6, as opposed to 10–7, thanks in part to a thrilling decision on the black in the 14th frame. On Monday afternoon, he triumphed in the 25th frame.
If not for those, along with a stunning error that occurred when Jones forced a respotted black in the 28th frame, the result might have been very different.
The man competing in his first ranking final suddenly appeared the more assured as Wilson’s heavy scoring – he managed four centuries and eight half-centuries across the match – dried up.
During his amazing rebound Jones even threatened a maximum 147 break after potting the first 12 reds and blacks, but broke down on 96 in the 30th set.
Wilson, though, held himself together to fulfil his boyhood dream with a match-winning break of 42.
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