Jak Jones remains sleepless in Sheffield. . . But he believes the miraculous comeback can still happen

By Gareth James

Jak Jones has revealed that lack of sleep was behind his dreadful start to the World Snooker Championship final.

Jones missed a golden chance to put the pressure on his opponent Kyren Wilson as his unlikely return to the Crucible was cut short at the end of the first day of the final.

The Welsh star rallied from an early 7-1 deficit but lost in a dramatic black-ball climax to the final frame of the day that left 12th-seeded Wilson to head to Monday’s final sessions with an 11-6 lead.

This is the moment Welshman Jak Jones secured his result against Stuart Bingham and his place in the World Championship final 🤩#BBCSnooker #WorldSnookerChampionship pic.twitter.com/fINSw8S6PW

– BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) May 5, 2024

Reflecting on the missed chance to move within three frames of his opponent, a visibly deflated Jones told the BBC: “It’s a miracle I’m still in it, I played shockingly.

“I’m absolutely in a daze and I think if I’d had a decent night’s sleep last night I could have done better.”

Jones experienced a nightmare start and had to wait until the last frame of the first session to get on the scoreboard and avoid becoming the first player since Dennis Taylor in 1985 to lose the first eight frames of a final.

The Cwmbran man, who battled through a grueling semi-final win over Stuart Bingham on Saturday night, was clearly relieved to sink the red ball, but thoughts turned to whether Wilson could go on to become only the the fourth man to win. title with a backup session.

Wilson was in commanding form early on as he rattled in two centuries, including a break of 129 in the opening frame and four other half-centuries.

But the 32-year-old Englishman, in his first final since losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2020, was far from perfect, a straight missed blue in the third frame giving his opponent an opportunity on who failed to transform her.

It was the story of the session for Jones, only the ninth qualifier to reach a Crucible final, who was mercilessly punished for spurning further opportunities and began to look increasingly worse on the bench.

Jones was criticized by six-time world champion Steve Davis – who held an eight-frame advantage over Taylor – for not heading straight to the practice table at the interval.

“He’s sitting on his four-frame chair,” Davis told the BBC. “Why don’t you go to the training table? I don’t understand why not.

“He hasn’t even gotten out of the blocks and he’s expected to make tough shots. It’s a no-brainer for me to go to the training table.”

Wales’ Jak Jones reacts to reaching the World Championship final.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Stuart Bingham 12-17 Jak Jones#BBCSnooker #WorldSnookerChampionship pic.twitter.com/EFytD6585K

– BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) May 4, 2024

Apart from Taylor’s poor start against Davis, the only other time a player has lost the first seven frames of a Crucible final was in 1991 when Jimmy White fell behind 7-0 against John Parrott.

But Jones looked like a revitalized player at the start of the evening session, storming out with breaks of 75 and 52 in the first two frames to claw back a 7-3 deficit.

Jones also had chances in the next two frames but Wilson put them away and when the 12th seed entered the mid-session interval having restored his seven-frame lead, it looked that the valiant effort of the underdog came to nothing.

Wilson replied to Jones who pulled off another frame with his fourth century of the day, a flamboyant 122 to go 10-4 in front, but prompted Jones to fashion a brave comeback.

Jak Jones wins the opening frame of the second session. 👏

Kyren Wilson 7-2 Jak Jones

📺 BBC Two and online#BBCSnooker pic.twitter.com/8l8ypCLizB

– BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) May 5, 2024

The qualifier took the next two frames, then made a superb break of 64 under the most pressure that looked set to swing the momentum of the tie in his favour.

But a missed yellow left Wilson with just one snooker needed and after Wilson’s failure to clear the colors it culminated in a black ball decision that made a huge difference to the pair’s prospects when they resume on Monday afternoon.

Wilson said: “It’s not about the score, it’s about how the frame was won. I’m proud of the way we held it together. I had it in my head that I wanted to get to 11 tonight, so the goal was achieved.”

Kyren Wilson 7️⃣-3️⃣ Jak Jones

A streak of 52 makes 3️⃣ frames per spin for Silent Assassin.

The comeback continues… 👀

📺 Watch live! ➡️ https://t.co/7HLbkvcULY#CazooWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/73Vqwv5nau

— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) May 5, 2024

In connection with