World Snooker Championship 2024: Qualifier Jak Jones stuns former champion Judd Trump

Jak Jones recorded the biggest win of his life as he shocked world number two Judd Trump 13-9 in the quarter-finals of the 2024 World Snooker Championship.

The 30-year-old will appear in the famous one-table set up at the Crucible in what will be only the second ranking event semi-final of his career, so far. His previous best in a ranked event was at the 2022 Gibraltar Open.

A quarter-finalist on debut last year, the Welshman has once again shone on the sport’s grandest stage despite having endured a disappointing season where he’d only been past the last 32 of an event once. After two qualifying round wins, Jones has eliminated Zhang Anda, Si Jiahui, and now 2019 champion Trump who was looking for a record-equalling sixth ranking title of the season. Jones has won all five of his matches by at least four frames.

Trump began the match strong with a 110 break, but Jones led the first mid-session interval at 3-1. A heavy outsider with bookmakers for the match, Jones looked like taking a first session advantage but Trump stole frame eight having needed a snooker to tie things up at 4-4.

After falling 6-4 behind, Trump started to get some momentum as he notched up four of the next five frames to go 8-7 up, although Jones struck a 117 - his first century this year at the Crucible - to level proceedings at 8 apiece.

Returning for the concluding session on Wednesday morning, it became a horror show for an out-of-sorts Trump who could only muster a high break of 22.

Following frame two on Tuesday morning, Trump made only one break above 50 throughout the entire contest.

In the other chair, Jones handled the situation and pressure brilliantly, stringing together four consecutive frames from 9-9, aided by breaks of 87, 61, and finishing in style with a 106.

Victory will taste even sweeter for Jones having lost 13-10 to Mark Allen in last year’s quarter-final during which he briefly led in the final session.

Prior to the Championship, Jones had earned a total of just under £35,000 from ranking events this term. A semi-final place in Sheffield sees him guaranteed a £100,000 payday.

He will play either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Stuart Bingham in the last four across a scheduled four sessions between Thursday to Saturday.