Jak Jones has won his first ranking title at the Championship League, defeating David Gilbert 3-2 in the final on Wednesday night in Leicester. The Welshman, who had previously reached a World Championship final, finally secured his first professional trophy.
Emotional tribute after victory
Speaking after the tense match, Jones said: 'It feels unreal, to be fair. I probably felt more nervous there than I did in the World final, so it's crazy really. Probably the smallest ranking event, but I'll take it.' He added: 'I've just stuck in there, I don't think I've ever got through my first group in this tournament. To win it this year, it's pretty good.'
Jones also expressed heartfelt gratitude to his family: 'It's good for my wife, my son, who support me so much. I can't wait to go home to them. Also for my parents who've been through 15 years of watching me lose all the time so it's nice to win one for them.'
Long journey to first title
The 32-year-old from Cwmbran first turned professional as a teenager in 2010, making this a long-awaited breakthrough. The £33,000 top prize may be for a minor ranking event, but it lifts a significant weight off his shoulders. 'I know it's probably the smallest ranking event but it's still a monkey off my back,' Jones said. 'I won't really be thinking, I need to win a ranking event, so it's good to get that out the way.'
Path to the final
Jones narrowly advanced from his first group with four points from three games, topping the table on frame difference. In his second group, he secured impressive wins over Chang Bingyu and Marco Fu. The last group saw him beat Hossein Vafaei and Dylan Emery, with a draw against Zhang Anda to book his spot in the final.
David Gilbert, the runner-up, came close to becoming the first player to win the ranking version of this event twice. He earned £23,000 for his efforts. Gilbert had tough groups, including a second group with Chris Wakelin, Ali Carter, and He Guoqiang, then went unbeaten in his third group against Noppon Saengkham, Elliot Slessor, and Lei Peifan.
Match summary
In the final, Jones fell behind twice to Gilbert but fought back in a dramatic short-format contest to win 3-2. The victory marks his first ranking title after 16 years as a professional.
