Jak Jones has finally landed the first ranking title of his career, triumphing at the Championship League last month, and the timing could not have been more perfect after what he described as a 'disaster' at the Crucible in April. The 33-year-old Welshman defeated Dave Gilbert in the final to secure his maiden professional victory, a milestone that has eluded him since he turned professional in 2010.
Putting the Crucible Nightmare Behind
Jones's victory comes on the heels of a demoralising 10-2 first-round defeat to Mark Selby at the World Championship, where Selby managed just three half-centuries in a match Jones admits went about as badly as possible. 'It couldn't have gone any worse really. How I played, how I felt at the Crucible,' Jones told Metro. 'It was a bit of a disaster really. It's good to put that to the back of my mind.'
The loss was a stark contrast to his memorable run to the World Championship final in 2024, where he lost to Kyren Wilson. 'I've experienced the good side of the Crucible and I've definitely experienced the worst now,' he added. 'There's so many different factors, I suppose. You're playing a Crucible specialist, one of the best players ever. I didn't feel too good in myself and then you miss a couple of balls and I think it all just got on top of me in the end. Which can happen to anyone, but it certainly got to me.'
A Long-Awaited Breakthrough
Jones's journey to his first title has been lengthy, but it was only after his impressive run to the Crucible final two years ago that he began to seriously crave silverware. 'When I was in the World final, I didn't really think that much about winning a tournament. I wouldn't say I was desperate to win a tournament,' he said. 'But after the last couple of years, you feel like you need to go to the next step in your career. You have to win one, otherwise you just feel like you're stuck.'
He acknowledged that the recent failure at the Crucible could have knocked his confidence. 'Then obviously it can knock your confidence quite a bit, when you have such a bad experience, a bad performance on the biggest stage. So to then win the first tournament of the new season I think was really big for me.'
Celebrating a Decade in the Making
Jones has won tournaments in his junior and amateur days, but the 10-year gap since his European Championship success in 2016 meant he had forgotten how to celebrate properly. 'I didn't celebrate,' he admitted. 'Dylan Emery was also in my group and we just drove straight back home. That was it really. No celebration. I think I've forgotten how to celebrate!'
Off the table, Jones has plenty to be happy about. He moved into a new house in December and is expecting his second child with his wife, Inna, later this year. After a spell in Cardiff, he is back in his hometown of Cwmbran, though his wife, originally from the Russian city of Samara, is still adjusting to the quieter life. 'Cardiff was a big change for me, but my wife loved it there, we were in the city centre, virtually,' he said. 'It was a bit too much for me. She likes Cwmbran, it's just a lot quieter than what her home city would have been. I think she's getting used to it, very slowly.'
Psychological Milestone
Looking ahead, Jones is focused on building on this success. 'I'm just trying to win another tournament. Now I've got one out of the way,' he said. He believes the psychological boost is immense, regardless of the tournament's size. 'It's so hard now but maybe when I get to the business end of tournaments in future I can be a bit more relaxed than I have been in the past. I think that psychologically, it's massive. No matter what tournament it is I've won, it's massive to get it out of the way.'
He also noted that winning the Championship League, a short-format event, has dispelled his previous preference for longer formats. 'I've been in the final of the biggest tournament and arguably the smallest one. But the thing that I had in my head before was feeling better in longer formats. I guess that's out of the window now because it doesn't get much more shorter format than the Championship League. So to win that one, that's another psychological obstacle out of the way.'
