World Snooker Championship 2024: Kyren Wilson fulfils world title ambition

Kyren Wilson has realised his dream of winning the World Snooker Championship following an 18-14 victory against qualifier Jak Jones in the final of the 2024 installment at the Crucible Theatre.

Maiden glory in snooker’s blue riband event represents 32-year-old Wilson’s sixth ranking event title and his first triumph in a Triple Crown event. A finalist at the Masters in 2018, he was runner-up to Ronnie O’Sullivan here four years ago, although in front of only a sparse live audience due to Covid restrictions.

World number 12 Wilson arrived in Sheffield at the end of a frustrating season having only made one semi-final and not qualified for any of the three Players Series events. However, Wilson has been revitalised on the grand stage over the past couple of weeks.

After dropping only seven frames across the opening two rounds, Wilson finally got the better of John Higgins at the Crucible in the quarter-finals. As the only remaining seed come the one-table set-up, the new in-running tournament favourite lived up to expectations in his semi-final by denying David Gilbert 17-11.

In the opposite corner to Wilson for the title match was world number 44 Jones who was trying to complete the ultimate snooker fairy tale. Priced as a 200/1 rank outsider before a ball was potted, Jones had to navigate two rounds of qualifying just to feature in the main draw.

Only his second appearance at the fabled venue having reached the last eight on debut last year, Jones made the quarters again where he produced one of the all-time great upsets by eliminating Judd Trump. In the last four he saw off another former winner in the shape of Stuart Bingham - conqueror of Ronnie O’Sullivan the round before - to reach his maiden professional final of any description.

However, it was Wilson who was in dreamland during the early stages of the title match as a series of breaks - including two centuries (129, 125) - helped him establish a commanding 7-0 lead.

Jones’ big day was starting to turn into a nightmare, but the resilient 30-year-old took the final frame of the first session to get on the board and then the first two of the second session to get a foothold at 7-3 behind. Wilson claimed three of the next four frames - aided by two further tons (125, 122) - to move 10-4 up, but plucky qualifier Jones responded again by closing to 10-6.

It looked like the underdog was going to end the opening day just three behind, but having needed a snooker, Wilson successfully laid one before winning a crucial frame 17 following an epic exchange on the final black.

Returning the next day, Jones showed no ill-effect to that tough knock, twice claiming two consecutive frames to plug the gap to just three at 11-8 and 13-10, although Wilson replied each time with a duo of frames to keep his distance and maintain a five-frame gap heading into the concluding fourth session.

The tension ramped up a few hours later on resumption, but either side of a 105 break from Jones - his first century of the contest - Wilson nabbed a frame on the colours and one on a re-spotted black after playing a cocked-hat double around the length of the table, to reach the hill at 17-11.

Jones simply would not go away, though, threatening the greatest snooker comeback of all time as he strung together three frames for 17-14. However, Wilson - now under significant pressure - managed to hold it together in a nervy frame 32 to achieve his ambition.

Along with the £500,000 first prize, Wilson also moves up to number three in the world rankings; his highest ever position.