World Snooker Championship: Kyren Wilson holds off Jak Jones charge to claim Crucible crown
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Updated 06/05/2024 at 21:42 GMT
Four years on from the heartache of losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final of the World Snooker Championship, Kyren Wilson is the Crucible champion after wrapping up victory over Jak Jones on Monday evening. The damage was done in the first session and Wilson kept his cool to win the title. Stream top snooker action live and on-demand on Eurosport and discovery+
'Tears are flowing!' - Wilson clinches Crucible glory with emotional celebrations
Kyren Wilson added his name to the World Championship roll of honour when holding off Jak Jones to secure a maiden Crucible crown.
Wilson was the best player over the course of the 17 days, and upheld the form book to beat Jones 18-14.
Victory comes four years on from Wilson’s defeat to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2020 final, and he becomes the 23rd world champion of the Crucible era - and 28th overall.
“It is something that no-one can take away from me,” Wilson said in the Eurosport studio of being world champion. “It is always going to live with me.
“I love this game, I love this sport, and I basically sold my soul to snooker.
“I sold my soul to the game, in a good way, and it has led me to this point."
Wilson's sons were with him in the studio, and the new world champion said: “Hopefully the boys, they are still very young, but when they grow old they will realise how special that was.”
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'I'll never forget this moment' - Wilson reflects on glory at Crucible
After a disappointing campaign, Wilson kicked off his Crucible quest with a 10-1 mauling of Dominic Dale. Joe O’Connor was swatted away for the loss of six frames, John Higgins dispatched 13-8 and David Gilbert beaten 17-11.
Wilson broke the back of the final in the opening session, taking it 7-1. Jones, in his first Crucible final, fought valiantly but could not repair the damage as the pre-game favourite secured the biggest title in the sport.
Jones came out for the final session knowing he had to make something happen rather than wait for something to happen.
He crafted a couple of decent chances in the 26th frame, but missed a pink to the right centre and Wilson won a safety exchange before clearing to the brown to extend his lead to six frames.
Jones has demonstrated limpet-like qualities in keeping himself in the hunt at the Crucible, and he took the 27th with his first century of the final - a 105 - to a huge ovation from the Sheffield crowd.
A bizarre foul by Wilson in the 28th frame, he hit the pink attempting to pot a red, handed a chance to Jones but he missed a red when trying to hold for the black.
Jones’ race looked run, but Wilson did not kill off the frame and the Welshman produced a stunning clearance of the colours to force a re-spot on the black.
The pair played out an epic black-ball battle in the final frame on Sunday night. The outcome was the same, with Wilson sending it round the table and into the bottom right to get within one frame of the title after Jones missed a big chance to pot it into the yellow pocket.
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'Wow, what a finish!' - Wilson drains re-spotted black in big drama
The pockets have not been overly generous at the Crucible in 2024, and Jones used the entire width of them in keeping his hopes alive with a break of 67 to take the 29th and extend the match beyond the final interval.
Jones had the crowd on the edge of their seats when picking off 12 reds and 12 blacks - the first of which was truly sensational - but the 13th down the right rail did not drop. The consolation was that a break of 96 got him back to within four frames.
Despite requiring a mid-frame bathroom break, Jones made it three frames on the spin when taking the 31st frame to cut the gap to 17-14.
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Watch amusing moment Jones forgets it's the interval in final
Wilson found the winning line tough to locate, but it came his way in the 32nd.
Jones was not without chances, but a rash double handed Wilson a chance and despite looking extremely shaky, he got over the line to become a world champion.
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'Tears are flowing!' - Wilson clinches Crucible glory with emotional celebrations
Session 3 - Wilson digs in to retain five-frame lead
Kyren Wilson split the third session with Jak Jones to maintain his five-frame lead in the World Championship final.
Wilson raced into a big lead in the first session and nursed it for the next two, and leads 15-10 in the race to 18 - with the players returning to play to a conclusion at the Crucible on Monday evening.
Jones fought valiantly on Monday afternoon, but Wilson responded on each occasion and took the final frame to maintain his lead.
Despite losing the final frame of the previous session from a position of dominance, Jones looked strong on Sunday evening and he carried that into Monday afternoon by knocking in a superb red at the start of the 18th frame.
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'Terrific shot' - Jones pots superb long red against Wilson
Jones did not gain position and after missing a tough blue, Wilson had a chance to counter. He potted a fine red but played a poor positional shot and compounded the error by following it with a slack safety.
Wilson’s errors were punished, as Jones crafted a break of 64 to cut the gap to four.
Jones’ playing style has been criticised, but he is not afraid to attack and he proved it with a stunning opening pot in the 19th. With reds scattered, Jones took on a pot to the left middle knowing if it had missed he would have dished up the table for Wilson.
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'That was gutsy' - Jones pots brilliant red against Wilson
He knocked it in and made a break of 59 to cut Wilson’s lead to three frames at 11-8.
When Wilson came under pressure in session two, he responded to keep Jones at arm’s length. A superb break of 50 in the 20th halted Jones’ momentum and he seized on a poor break from his opponent to craft a run of 83 in the 21st to share the mini-session and restore his five-frame advantage.
Wilson had the chance to extend his lead after Jones misjudged a pink, but he played a poor positional shot and missed a tough black.
Jones stepped in with a 90 to equal his highest break of the contest to take the 22nd.
Wilson made another error in the 23rd and Jones, “made of granite” in the words of Philip Studd in the Eurosport commentary box, made 73 to get back within three frames.
Made of granite is a phrase that could easily apply to Wilson as well. With Jones raining down blows, Wilson responded in the 24th with a break of 87 to move four clear once again.
The final frame of the afternoon session had a big feel to it. Take it, and Wilson would be three frames from the winning line. If it fell to Jones, he would be within three of his opponent.
Wilson picked Jones’ pocket in the final frame on Sunday, and Jones had a chance to respond in kind in the 25th but missed a yellow when in the balls and Wilson picked off the points he needed to extend his lead to five frames going into the evening.
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