World Snooker Championship: Jak Jones completes win over Stuart Bingham to set up final with Kyren Wilson
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Updated 04/05/2024 at 22:50 GMT
Jak Jones will play Kyren Wilson in the final of the World Snooker Championship after completing a 17-12 win over Stuart Bingham in the semi-finals at the Crucible on Saturday evening. It was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but Jones held his nerve to beat the 2015 champion. Stream top snooker action, including the 2024 World Championship, live and on-demand on Eurosport and disco
‘Finishing with a flourish’ - Jones seals place in World Championship final
Jak Jones set up a World Championship final clash with Kyren Wilson after getting the better of a dogged battle with Stuart Bingham.
While the clash between Wilson and David Gilbert was filled with quality, it was attritional stuff between Jones and Bingham.
Jones held a three-frame lead heading into the session, and it took them almost two and a half hours to play the opening four frames of the evening.
Bingham, who led 3-0 early in the match, had chances but missed too many of them and Jones held firm late in the evening to book his place in a Crucible final with a 17-12 win.
A tense opening frame of the final session went to Bingham.
Bingham looked jaded, mentally and physically, earlier in the day but steeled himself to win a 40-minute opener.
After a lengthy safety exchange, the balance of power went Bingham’s way when he potted a superb red along the bottom rail and then laid an excellent snooker.
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'Struck it perfectly' - Bingham pots glorious red along the cushion
The snooker did its job, as it crafted a chance for Bingham to get the points required to close the gap to two frames.
The attritional nature of the match continued with a 36-minute frame in the 25th.
Bingham found a stunning plant but then missed a simple pot - allowing Jones to eke out a sizeable lead.
Jones went into defensive mode and pushed balls on cushions, but Bingham began chipping away at the lead. When he knocked in a spectacular yellow he went favourite in the frame, but refused the green and instead played a terrible safety.
The passage of play was described as “the sublime to the ridiculous” by Philip Studd in the Eurosport commentary box, and those words were a correct assessment.
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‘Sublime to the ridiculous’ - Bingham plays terrible shot on green after spectacular pot on yellow
Jones did not look the gift horse in the mouth, as he cleared to the green to restore his three-frame lead.
While he was arguably fortunate to take the 25th, Jones compiled a classy 65 in the 26th to move four frames clear at 15-11.
The 27th, almost 45 minutes of it, had a bit of everything including fiendish snookers, an epic ball replacement, a black hanging over a pocket and reds lined up on a cushion.
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‘This replacement could take about a week’ - Referee faces epic ball replacement after foul
When the black was eventually potted - a foul - it was Bingham who solved the puzzle and a superb break of 44 kept his hopes alive heading into the final interval.
Bingham had a chance in the 28th, but missed a black to the bottom left when attempting to force it in to create an angle.
Jones’ scoring had not been good for much of the match, but he put together an excellent 70 to move within one frame of victory.
With his back to the wall, Bingham attempted to force the issue but a missed red coughed up a chance for Jones.
It was not an easy table, and Jones could only make 44 before missing a tough red with the rest.
Bingham looked a spent force and his race was run when he missed a brown.
Jones returned to the table and got over the winning line with a 58 to book his place in a Crucible final.
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‘It’s embarrassing’ – ‘Gutted’ Bingham reflects on ‘shocking’ semi-final loss
Jones opens up three-frame lead over Bingham
Jak Jones will go into his last World Snooker Championship semi-final session against Stuart Bingham with a 13-10 lead.
Bingham and Jones went into this morning’s contest locked at 8-8 after two tense opening sessions.
The world No. 29 had raced into a three-frame lead in the very first session, but was just as quickly pegged back by Jones. The final two frames were then shared to leave the match level at 4-4.
This pattern was repeated in the second session, with Bingham taking a two-frame lead before Jones got back into the encounter.
The world No. 44 even looked set to take a two-frame advantage into this morning’s session, but Bingham battled back to ensure the match stayed level.
Bingham started the first frame of this morning’s session with a break of 46, before fluffing a long ball. Jones was unable to take advantage of the reprieve, missing a red and allowing Bingham back in to wrap up the frame with a lead of 65.
It was a nervy start to the 18th frame, with Jones eventually leaving the table with a 45-point advantage after a run of poor shots from both players.
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'Goodness me!' - Jones accidentally pots red in outrageous fluke against Bingham
Bingham returned to the table and added 31 to his own tally, but then missed a long yellow. Jones was able to clear up to bring the encounter level.
It was another scrappy start to the 19th frame, with Bingham looking to pick up a rhythm but then missing a routine black off the spot. Jones took advantage and registered the first half-ton of the day, but was unable to shift the last two remaining reds.
He held a 22-point lead as Bingham returned to the table, with the frame continuing to run and run. Bingham eventually missed a tough green, with Jones holding his nerve to take a 10-9 lead.
This was then extended to two frames as Jones emerged the winner of another fiercely-contested contest, recording another half-ton with a break of 54.
Bingham did not appear to be revived after the brief interval, conceding two more frames to give Jones a 13-9 lead.
Jones managed a break of 63 in the 21st frame, but Bingham refused to give up, dragging out the frame to a mammoth 55-minute encounter.
Despite coming close to catching Jones, Bingham gave the frame to his opponent by accidentally potting the pink.
Jones then won his fifth frame in a row, after which it became apparent the session would have to be cut short before the afternoon's encounter between Kyren Wilson and David Gilbert got underway.
The players contested one more frame, with Bingham giving himself a glimmer of hope with an impressive break of 104 to bring his deficit to three frames.
The winner of the semi-final will be determined in the final session between Bingham and Jones this evening.
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