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Qualifier Jak Jones will have to battle back from 11-6 down after Kyren Wilson made a dominant start to this World Snooker Championship final and then clinched a dramatic final frame of the opening night.
The first session of the best-of-35 Crucible Theatre showpiece, held over two days, was controlled from start to finish by Wilson, opening with a superb 129 and scoring freely throughout with a nervy Jones unable to find his flow. With some uncharacteristically loose safety play from the Welshman affording him regularly opportunities to build breaks, Wilson showed off his clean cueing to take the first seven frames of the match before Jones at last got on the board in the final frame of the afternoon session to trail 7-1.
Jones fought back in the evening session, however, and reached the last frame of the night only four frames behind. He cleared the final red to leave Wilson needing a snooker, but Wilson managed to find the snooker and pot all of the colours – including a tense final black at the end of a long battle – to steal the frame and earn an 11-6 overnight lead.
Re-live all the action from the World Snooker Championship below, and get the latest predictions and odds here:
World Snooker Championship 2024 prize money
Kyren Wilson and Jak Jones face off on the final day of the World Snooker Championship 2024 today.
The pair will be eager to write their names into the history books at the Crucible in what has been an unpredictable tournament this year with plenty of upsets. Wilson carried a five-frame lead into Monday in the race to 18 frames.
But Jones has proven to be a fierce competitor and able to grind out victories from difficult positions, leaving the final delicately poised with two sessions remaining.
Jack Rathborn6 May 2024 11:17
Jak Jones on prospect of winning World Snooker Championship as a qualifier
“It is crazy and totally unexpected coming into the tournament,” Jones said.
“I don’t think I’ve played particularly well, I haven’t scored particularly well, but my match-play has got me through.”
Jack Rathborn6 May 2024 10:45
Kyren Wilson 11-6 Jak Jones
Could fatigue become an issue in the closing stages of this final?
Jak Jones has played almost double the amount of snooker that Kyren Wilson has played, given his longer route at the Crucible.
Jack Rathborn6 May 2024 09:30
Kyren Wilson 11-6 Jak Jones
So the players will return tomorrow afternoon with Kyren Wilson leading 11-6. How different it would have been had Jak Jones only been trailing by three frames, rather than five, but he’s still in this match, just.
Jones will need a fast start on Monday if he is to become world champion. Join us then.
Lawrence Ostlere5 May 2024 22:36
Kyren Wilson speaks
“It’s not only the scoreline, it was needing a snooker, it’s about the way the last frame was won. There was a lot of tension there, some good safety, so I was proud of how I held it together. I had a target of 11 in my head and I achieved it.”
Lawrence Ostlere5 May 2024 22:29
Jak Jones speaks
“I’m absolutely knackered. If I had a decent night’s sleep last night I could have done something this morning. It’s a miracle I’m still in it. Hopefully I get a good night’s sleep tonight, come out flying tomorrow.”
Lawrence Ostlere5 May 2024 22:26
Kyren Wilson 11-6 Jak Jones
Jones tries to break the deadlock with a bold, bold double across the table into the yellow pocket – it rocks in the jaws and bounces out!
Wilson will surely knock it in for the frame... he does! Wilson punches the air, shakes hands with Jones and marches out of the arena. Jones looks bereft.
What drama.
Lawrence Ostlere5 May 2024 22:23
Kyren Wilson 10-6 Jak Jones
This safety exchange is so tense, and the audience are utterly immersed in every shot.
Wilson offers a rueful smile as Jones gets a little lucky with a shot which sends the black near the green pocket, but safe. Wilson’s next safety leaves a half-chance for Jones, who takes it on but cuts it too thin.
He leaves Wilson a similar chance, but he hits it too thin as well! We go on. There’s so much riding on this black.
Lawrence Ostlere5 May 2024 22:19
Kyren Wilson 10-6 Jak Jones
Wilson pots the brown, and the blue, but misses the mid-length pink! So Jones comes to the table with only the pink and black on the table, leading by 11 points.
Jones takes on the thinnest cut of the pink into green pocket... but misses! Now Wilson will try the same shot on the pink, and he makes it!
Wilson has a tough black on its spot, with the cue ball near the corner pocket, to win the frame... it rattles in the jaw and stays out! Goodness me.
It runs safe, and so this frame is all on the black.
Lawrence Ostlere5 May 2024 22:15
Kyren Wilson 10-6 Jak Jones
Now then. Wilson puts Jones in a snooker, and this frame is not quite done and dusted. Jones does brilliantly to get out of it and hit the yellow coming off two cushions, but a moment later he’s in another snooker and this time Jones misses the yellow completely trying to play a swerve shot!
Wilson pots the yellow, and the green, and suddenly he could steal the frame!
Lawrence Ostlere5 May 2024 22:12