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Having raced into a 7-0 lead and up 15-10 entering the final session, the world No 12 held off a spirited challenge from Welsh qualifier Jak Jones to triumph 18- 14 at the Crucible. Kyren Wilson held off a spirited final-session rally from Welsh qualifier Jak Jones to win the World Snooker Championship final 18-14.
Wilson, who raced into a 7-0 lead on Sunday afternoon and entered the final session a firm favorite up 15-10, promptly claimed the first frame of the night tommove to within two of victory. Jones, looking to become the first qualifier to be crowned at the Crucible since Shaun Murphy in 2005, duly responded with a break of 105 - his first century ofmthe final - to take the next before Wilson pinched a truly bonkers third frame of the evening.
The Englishman moved one away from victory after fluking a re-spotted black, having let Jones level the score after a couple of nervy errors which included him accidentally striking the pink when looking to pot a nearby red and, latterly, snooker himself on the yellow.Wilson was 7-1 up after the first session on Sunday, with Jones only getting on the board in the last frame of the afternoon thanks to a break of 65 as he avoided becoming the first player since Dennis Taylor in 1985 to lose the first eightframes in the final.
Jones won the opening two frames of Sunday evening to cut his arrears to four, only for Wilson to respond with his third century of the match and then a break of 60 to restore his six-frame advantage as Jones failed to convert opportunitiesn that came his way.
The players traded the next two frames with Wilson knocking in century number four but Jones won the next two, before Wilson snatched the last of Sunday night to lead 11-6. On two occasions on Monday afternoon Jones reduced the deficit to only three, but in each instance Wilson responded by taking the next two frames and somentered the evening leading 15-10.
It left Jones chasing the biggest comeback in the history of the tournament's last session but, despite putting up a valiant effort, the challenge proved beyond him. This is Wilson's first world championship title.
Written by Lewis Musonye
