Kyren Wilson defeated John Higgins 10-8 in a high-quality International Championship final in Nanjing to claim the 12th ranking title of his career.
The Englishman becomes the 16th player in snooker history to win back-to-back ranking events. The last player to achieve the feat was Zhao Xintong when he won last season’s World Grand Prix and Players Championship.
Wilson claimed victory at the Waterfront Hall to win the Northern Ireland Open a fortnight ago. He thrashed Jak Jones 9-2 in the title match to claim glory in Belfast.
This week has seen the Warrior battle through the field. He trailed Liam Highfield 5-3 in the opening round before prevailing 6-5 and was also taken to a decider against Oliver Lines. Wilson once again showed his fighting qualities to overturn a first session deficit this evening.
Wilson, 34, moves level with Mark Allen on 12 ranking titles, putting him joint 11th on the all-time list and just one behind Shaun Murphy.
He moves from ninth to eighth in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, with a significant few weeks now on the horizon. Wilson heads to Leicester next week to compete in the Champion of Champions and will be aiming to complete the Triple Crown set at the upcoming UK Championship in York.
Aged 51, Higgins misses out on the opportunity to become the oldest ever ranking event winner. Mark Williams retains that honour, having won the Xi’an Grand Prix last year at the age of 50.
With Higgins leading 5-4 coming into the evening, a break of 70 gave Wilson the opener to restore parity. He then moved 69-0 up in the 11th, before a vintage Higgins clearance of 70, aided by a double on the final red, saw him steal on the black to lead 6-5.
Wilson drew level again with a break of 130 in the 12th and led in the 13th, but again Higgins summoned a clearance of 65 and stole on the pink. That left him 7-6 up heading into the last interval of the tournament.
When play resumed Wilson drew level thanks to a break of 80. He led in the 15th frame, but again broke down and gave Higgins a chance to counter. The Glaswegian looked set for a third big steal of the night, but missed the blue and Wilson cleared to the black to go 8-7 ahead.
A break of 101 moved Wilson one from victory, but Higgins showed his resolve in the 17th to remain in contention at 9-8. Ultimately, a contribution of 61 helped Wilson over the line and clinched a first International Championship crown.
“It was a really good final. The way he played against Chang Bingyu in the semi-finals I knew I was in for a tough match. It was about sticking in there and bouncing back if I made mistakes. He has made a career out of unbelievable clearances under pressure and has been an idol of mine since I started watching the game. To play him in a final like this is a dream come true and it is an honour to win,” said 2024 World Champion Wilson.
“I can remember him absolutely wiping the floor with me one year at the World Championship. When he gets on a roll and is in the groove he can blow anyone and everyone away. He is pretty much the most complete snooker player of all-time. To beat him in two big finals, at the Masters and here, I’m chuffed.
“Winning back-to-back titles is an incredible feat really. I’m probably boring people by saying how high the standard is, but it is frightening. It is through the roof. When you have all-time legends still around and getting to finals, it makes it even more difficult. I’m delighted I’ve bounced back from Belfast and won again. That is no mean feat.
“It is a great opportunity to now have the Champion of Champions and UK Championship coming up. I’ll never complain about having back-to-back events. You have to dust yourself down and go again. It is a good time to be hitting form.“
“Kyren was very strong tonight and I just got a little bit weaker at the end,” said four-time Crucible king Higgins.
“I’ve got to be honest, I’m taking the positives this week. I was in very poor form coming into the tournament. It has given me motivation to get back and try to win an event soon. I feel like I might be close as I played very well. Kyren was too strong. It is a great achievement for him to win back-to-back events.”
A vintage display from John Higgins saw him thrash Chang Bingyu 9-2 and reach the final of the International Championship in Nanjing.
The Scot has been despondent with his form so far this season, with this marking his first ranking run beyond the last 16. However, his decision to switch back from a titanium ferrule to a traditional brass one appears to have helped him rediscover his best form.
Higgins is now one win away from a 34th ranking crown and his first since the 2025 Tour Championship in Manchester. Standing in his way tomorrow is Englishman Kyren Wilson, in a repeat of this year’s Masters final.
On that occasion Wilson prevailed 10-6, but it is Higgins who holds the edge in their head-to-head standings having won eight of their 12 meetings. Tomorrow they will cross cues over the best of 19 frames, with the winner scooping £175,000.
Aged 51, Higgins would be snooker’s oldest ever ranking event winner if he is victorious tomorrow, pipping fellow Class of 92 member Mark Williams, who was 50 when he won last season’s Xi’an Grand Prix. The Glaswegian will also be aiming to extend an extraordinary sequence which has seen at least one member of the Class of 92 win a ranking title in each of the last 33 years.
Chang’s week ends on a humbling note, but the 24-year-old has once again produced some dazzling snooker. He fired in an incredible 13 centuries over the tournament. Having recently captured maiden silverware at the Wuhan Open, he will be full of confidence ahead of a big few weeks. He competes in the Champion of Champions next week and after breaking into the top 16, he will automatically qualify for the UK Championship as a seed.
Higgins put on a dominant performance to end the afternoon session with a healthy 6-2 cushion, before carrying his momentum into the evening.
A run of 110 in the opening frame made it 7-2 and dampened any hopes of a Chang comeback among the home fans. That was compounded when Higgins controlled the tenth frame and then got over the line by stealing the 11th on the black. That sees him through to his 61st ranking final.
“It felt great. I missed just a couple of balls through the day but it felt good. It was one of those matches where you could have stayed out there playing all day,” said 33-time ranking event winner Higgins.
“I got zoned in on my own game because I knew the guy in the other chair was going to play to a high standard. If I didn’t play to a high standard I was never going to win. I concentrated on getting my game into good shape and it has been getting better and better.
“The game is a drug to every snooker player. You always think there could be a better performance round the corner and that is what everyone is hanging on to. At the start of the week I was miles down on the one-year list. I knew if I could get my game in better shape I could start moving up the way, so that is what I’m doing.
“I had a good record against Kyren up until the year he won the World Championship, when he blitzed me at the Crucible. He blitzed me at the Masters this year really. He has the upper hand so I will try and arrest that slide.”
John Higgins is a very clever hard match player. In this match, there were two frames, frames five and eleven, where Chang made a break over 50 and still lost the frame. That said, it’s not like John tried to ground him down by playing slow defensive snooker. Both scored heavily in the balls. All frames except one – frame 10 – featured a break over 55. Chang will be very disappointed today, but hopefully will learn a lot from this match.
The Champion of Champions is not a WST event, it is a Matchroom event. Whatever happens during that competition doesn’t impact the rankings nor the seedings.
Still. as an “elite” lucrative event it often “produces” interesting and very competitive matches. It’s also usually well attended by the fans who have the certainty to witness some of the very best players in action.
Groups Confirmed For Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions
The groups and schedule are now set for the 2026 Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions. Defending champion Mark Selby begins his title defence in front of a home crowd when the action starts at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena on Monday 9 November.
Snooker’s 16 best title-winners from the past year will compete in Leicester across seven days for one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport. Play gets under way at 1pm on Monday and is live on ITV in the UK.
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Group Stages (Best-of-Seven)
Monday 9 November – Group One • Mark Selby (England) vs Alfie Burden (England) • Barry Hawkins (England) vs Chris Wakelin (England)
Leicester’s own Mark Selby opens the week as defending champion. He also arrives as reigning UK Champion. His first opponent is Alfie Burden, whose Snooker Shoot Out triumph in December made him the oldest first-time ranking event winner in the sport’s history. Welsh Open champion Barry Hawkins and Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin complete a group that promises a spectacular start to the week.
Tuesday 10 November – Group Four • Neil Robertson (Australia) vs Panchaya Channoi (Thailand) • Judd Trump (England) vs Jak Jones (Wales)
World No. 1 Judd Trump leads Group Four after titles at the German Masters and Shanghai Masters. He was runner-up here last year and returns to Leicester looking to go one better. Former Champion of Champions winner Neil Robertson faces one of the stories of the week in Panchaya Channoi. The 18-year-old Thai star makes her debut on the big stage after winning the World Women’s Snooker Championship in May. Jak Jones also qualified twice over, as winner of the British Open and the Championship League.
Wednesday 11 November – Group Three • Shaun Murphy (England) vs Ronnie O’Sullivan (England) • Wu Yize (China) vs Chang Bingyu (China)
Group Three features a blockbuster opener: Shaun Murphy against Ronnie O’Sullivan, the event’s record four-time winner. O’Sullivan returns as World Seniors Champion, while Murphy was runner-up at the Crucible this year. In the other match, reigning World Champion Wu Yize faces fellow Chinese star Chang Bingyu. Chang makes his first Champion of Champions appearance after winning his maiden ranking title at the Wuhan Open.
Thursday 12 November – Group Two • Zhao Xintong (China) vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Thailand) • Kyren Wilson (England) vs Ali Carter (England)
The group stages close with one of the strongest groups of the week. Zhao Xintong comes to Leicester after a remarkable season that included the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship. He meets World Open champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, one of the most entertaining players on tour. Masters champion Kyren Wilson takes on English Open winner Ali Carter in the second match.
Format Each day’s two opening matches are best-of-seven, starting from 1pm. The winners meet in the evening session at 7pm in a best-of-11 group final, with a semi-final place on the line. The semi-finals are on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November at 7pm. The best-of-19 final is played over afternoon and evening sessions on Sunday 15 November.
Ronnie has qualified for the event as World Seniors Snooker Champion. He’s in the draw … but will he play? I’m not sure. He’s won this event four times. He played in it last year, but had withdrawn in 2023. Time will tell.
Sam Craigie potted a re-spotted black in the deciding frame, only for the white to go in off and hand world number one Zhao Xintong an extraordinary 6-5 victory at the International Championship in Nanjing.
Englishman Craigie missed a match ball blue in the final frame and allowed his opponent to clear the remaining balls to tie the frame at 72-72 and bring the black up for a deciding re-spot.
Both players spurned opportunities, before Craigie potted a great long-range black. He appeared to have secured a famous victory, but the white tracked towards the green pocket and dropped to give Zhao an unlikely win.
It’s a second consecutive week of heartbreak for Craigie, who lost his Northern Ireland Open semi-final 6-5 against Kyren Wilson, having led 5-3. The prize for Zhao is a clash with Irishman Aaron Hill, who beat Daniel Wells 6-5.
Zhao said: “I am so lucky today. When the frame finished I spoke to Sam. I just said he was so unlucky and that he is playing really well now. He will be strong in the future so don’t worry about that and just keep going. I know that he will be very despondent. I am lucky today.
“I thought I had lost. When he potted the black, I was standing at the camera. I saw the black straight to the pocket but I didn’t see the cue ball.“
Stephen Maguire ousted China’s current World Champion Wu Yize 6-5 in a thrilling clash to make the last 16.
It’s a first ever win over the reigning Crucible King for Scotland’s Maguire, who lost 5-4 in both of their previous meetings.
Nanjing has proved to be a lucrative location for 2004 UK Champion Maguire, who made the semi-finals last year. On that occasion he was beaten 9-2 by fellow Glaswegian and close friend John Higgins.
Having trailed 3-1 at the mid-session interval, Maguire reeled off breaks of 58, 78, 73 and 133 to take four of the next five and lead 5-4. Wu fired in a superb 110 to force a decider and had the first opportunities. Leading 50-0, Wu missed a long red and Maguire stepped up to clear brilliantly to the pink with 68 and run out the victor. He now plays Chinese legend Ding Junhui, who prevailed 6-5 against Zhang Anda.
Maguire said: “You can’t beat things like that. It is what gets my butterflies going. If I didn’t clear up there, it would have killed me. When you do clear up, it is just relief. That is a good win for me. He is unbelievable and his long potting is too good.
“There are a lot more lows than highs. If you get a result like that with a clearance at the end just enjoy it. I don’t like giving it a fist pump but it comes out when I miss and I punch the table. I’m just that person.“
Class of 92 members Mark Williams and John Higgins scored last 32 wins to set up a mouth-watering showdown.
Williams withstood an opening frame 147 break from rapid Thai cueman Thepchaiya Un-Nooh to prevail 6-3 and earn his place in the last 16. Higgins prevailed 6-2 against China’s Xu Si.
Chinese 18-year-old Wang Xinbo produced a stunning display to dispatch 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson 6-4. He top scored with 131 and now plays Marco Fu, who beat Julien Leclercq 6-3.
Chang Bingyu put himself in position to make it into the top 16 and qualify automatically for the UK Championship with a 6-3 defeat of Chris Wakelin. He is provisionally in 16th position, but his Chinese compatriot Ding is among those hot on his heels.
John Higgins prevailed in a rollercoaster encounter with old foe Mark Williams, winning 6-5 to make the quarter-finals of the International Championship in Nanjing.
The pair first met on the circuit back in 1994 and have contested a rivalry which includes two UK Championship finals won by Higgins and a World Championship final won by Williams.
This was the 45th time they’ve crossed cues on snooker’s professional stage and victory moves Higgins 24-21 ahead in the head-to-head standings
It is a first ranking quarter-final of the campaign for the Scot, who has endured a difficult start to the season, including two opening-round exits. Higgins will hope this victory can spark a return to form at an event where he reached the final 12 months ago, losing to now World Champion Wu Yize. Next up is Marco Fu, who defeated teenager Wang Xinbo 6-5.
It was Williams who started fastest this evening as he moved into a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval. Higgins hit back when they returned and crafted runs of 52, 53 and 60 to take the lead, before claiming the eighth on the black to lead 5-3.
Williams refused to wilt and made breaks of 66 and 76 to force a final frame, but Higgins wasn’t to be denied and controlled the decider to seal victory.
“It is a great win for me. I was 3-1 down at the interval and didn’t really do a lot wrong. I came back at him after the interval, but he showed how good he is at 5-3. He is such a great competitor. It is a brilliant win,” said 51-year-old Higgins.
“We’ve been about for so long and are playing to a good standard into our 50s. It is unheard of really to be doing that. Listen, I keep on saying it but it is great to still be playing out there against these guys.
“These matches are what defines you as a player. I will be proud to look back on all of these matches against the great champions.
“I got to the final here last year and for me this is the second-hardest tournament to win. It is all best of 11s and if you do get to the semis they are best of 17. I got to the final last year, I am in the quarters here. It would be great to go one better.“
Chinese legend Ding Junhui punched the table with delight after potting the final pink to beat Stephen Maguire 6-5. That keeps him in the hunt for automatic qualification for the UK Championship. Next up is Kyren Wilson, who defeated Oliver Lines 6-5.
World number one Zhao Xintong progressed with a 6-3 win over Irishman Aaron Hill. He plays Chang Bingyu, who remains in position to clinch the 16th qualification place for the UK Championship. Chang eased past Yuan Sijun 6-2.
Fan Zhengyi overcame Liam Davies 6-4 to set up a last eight meeting with Iran’s Hossein Vafaei, who beat Si Jiahui 6-3.
I can’t really add much. Some health problems affecting my eyesight mean that I can’t watch the screen for long periods, never mind for the duration of best of 11 matches going to a decider. Hopefully all that will be “resolved” soon… Getting old is no fun. 😔
There was one major upset yesterday at the 2026 International championship with the elimination of Judd Trump. That said, the man who beat Judd is Fan Zhengyi, a player who often seems to find an extra gear when facing top players, and who, let’s not forget, has won a ranking event before, the 2022 European Masters. That time he had beaten Kyren Wilson, seeded 5 at the time, and Yan Bingtao, rseeded 12 en route to the final, where he defeated Graeme Dott, seeded 17th.
Last week’s Northern Ireland Open champion Kyren Wilson admits he used his frustration as fuel to come from 5-3 down and beat Liam Highfield 6-5 at the International Championship in Nanjing.
The Warrior captured the Alex Higgins Trophy for the second time in Belfast last Sunday, thrashing Jak Jones 9-2 in the final to win the 11th ranking title of his career.
Wilson was on the ropes this afternoon, but breaks of 51, 127 and 75 in the last three frames saw him turn the tie on its head and emerge a 6-5 victor. After the match the defending Masters champion and 2024 Crucible king admitted he is setting his sights on this month’s UK Championship, where he is aiming to complete the Triple Crown set.
“He played very strongly today. I think every frame had a high break. I find Liam very difficult to play against. I think our styles clash and I play a lot faster. Liam is a little bit more methodical. I got a bit angry at 5-3 and I finished strongly,” said 34-year-old Wilson.
“It took eight frames to keep calm, in the ninth I got a bit angry and lost my composure, but it fired me up. Before that I missed one or two balls but afterwards I played well.
“I want to win the UK Championship. It is the tournament that is missing from my CV. It would be brilliant to complete the Triple Crown, but there are so many good players so it will be difficult.”
Three-time World Champion Mark Williams continued his strong form with a 6-2 defeat of India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha.
The 51-year-old Welshman was runner-up to Ali Carter at September’s English Open and made the semis at last week’s Northern Ireland Open, where he lost out 6-5 to Jak Jones.
Williams composed contributions of 98, 123, 126 and 67 during this morning’s victory and now faces a mouth-watering meeting with quickfire Thai Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
Williams said: “I can’t grumble at getting to quarters and semis of ranking tournaments with all these players in them. In a few months I’m 52, so it is unbelievable to even still be competing. I should be long gone by this age, but we keep on trucking!“
Former European Masters winner Fan Zhengyi scored a shock 6-5 defeat of 2019 World Champion Judd Trump.
It’s a second consecutive early exit for the Ace in the Pack, who bowed out 4-3 in his first match at the Northern Ireland Open at the hands of Martin O’Donnell.
Today’s result was Fan’s first ever win over Trump and his reward is a meeting with Steven Hallworth in the next round.
World Champion and defending International Champion Wu Yize scored a 6-1 win over Robbie Williams, while world number one Zhao Xintong overcame a game David Lilley 6-4. They now play Stephen Maguire and Sam Craigie respectively.
There have already been more upsets today and a maximum by Theppy1 … but that’s for tomorrow’s report.
Kyren Wilson ended a drought of 19 months without a ranking title as he thrashed Jak Jones 9-2 in the final of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast, winning the event for a second time.
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Wilson built a 6-2 lead in the opening session, making three century breaks, and needed just 45 minutes of the evening conclusion to secure the crown at the Waterfront Hall, lifting the Alex Higgins Trophy and pocketing the top prize of £100,000.
After beating Jones in the World Championship two years ago, Wilson enjoyed a prolific 2024/25 season, winning a further four ranking titles, the last of those coming at the Players Championship in 2025. Since then he has had to contend with a variety of problems including his favourite cue being accidentally snapped, health problems for his wife Sophie and their family home being burgled. What has never changed is his relentless determination and resilient mindset, and the 34-year-old from Kettering now has his reward with a return to the winner’s podium.
Though he won prestigious invitation titles last season at the Shanghai Masters and the Masters, his form in ranking events had been so patchy that he slipped to 23rd in the race to the Crucible next Spring and – unthinkably – had to contemplate the prospect of playing in the qualifying rounds. This week’s triumph boosts him into the top 16 and on track for an automatic place at the Theatre of Dreams.
Wilson’s career tally of ranking titles moves to 11, putting him 12th outright on the all-time list, one ahead of Jimmy White. Having conquered Belfast in 2024, he joins Judd Trump and Mark Allen as the only players to win this event on multiple occasions. Remaining ninth in the official Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, the Englishman leaps from 17th to fifth on the one-year list and is on course to qualify for all three events in the 2027 Players Series.
Most Ranking Titles
All-time list
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 41 Stephen Hendry – 36 John Higgins – 33 Judd Trump – 31 Steve Davis – 28 Mark Williams – 27 Neil Robertson – 26 Mark Selby – 26 Ding Junhui – 15 Shaun Murphy – 13 Mark Allen – 12 Kyren Wilson – 11 Jimmy White – 10
He’s also the new front-runner for the £150,000 BetVictor Home Nations bonus, with the leading money-winner across the four events to bank the extra windfall. With tournaments in Scotland and Wales to come, Wilson leads Ali Carter by £13,200.
Jones is enjoying an extraordinary breakthrough season, as he had never previously won a trophy since turning pro in 2010 but landed the Championship League in July and British Open in September. Victory today would have set a new record for the shortest time in which a player has won their first three ranking titles, surpassing John Higgins who achieved that feat in a six-month spell in 1994/95.
Cwmbran’s 33-year-old Jones earns £45,000 and climbs from 24th to 18th in the world, and another run at the upcoming International Championship could secure a top 16 seeding for both the UK Championship and the Masters.
After a fine display in the first session, Wilson had first chance in the opening frame tonight and made 44 before accidentally knocking the black in when potting a red, but he soon got back in by drilling a long range red into a top corner and adding the points he needed to go five clear. In the next he under-cut a tricky black to a top corner on 34, but soon got back in and added 45 to go 8-2 ahead.
Jones had an early chance in frame 11 but made just 6 before missing a routine black off its spot – summing up his day. Wilson finished in style with a break of 75 to complete a seventh win in eight meetings with Jones.
“It’s a great honour to win the Alex Higgins Trophy,” said Wilson, who came so close to defeat against Sam Craigie in the semi-finals yesterday before today’s one-sided contest. “Obviously, he was a legend of our game and somebody I looked up to, watching back on the archives. To take it home for a second time is an incredible feeling. It’s given me a little bit of a boost up the rankings, so I’m buzzing to win.
“So many top players went out early in the tournament, and I think that puts a bit of pressure on you to deliver. You want to do it for the fans who come to watch you play snooker and support you in particular, and you’re aware of that. I’m pleased I’ve managed to produce good, consistent, heavy-scoring snooker. It’s a good confidence booster for what’s to come.
“The way the tour works nowadays, winning a ranking title boosts you up into the World Grand Prix, the Players Championship and the Tour Championship. To not have a chance of defending my Players Championship title last season was a real blow, sitting at home watching that. Hopefully this has given me a good stepping stone into those tournaments this season. You’ve got to ride the crest of the wave while you can.
“To overtake Jimmy White’s total of ranking titles is amazing because he was a hero of mine. I loved watching him play and he’s like the godfather of snooker in my eyes. He’s such an iconic figure in snooker.“
Jones said: “I should be pleased with getting to the final, with how I’ve played all week. I haven’t felt comfortable, but I’ve just battled through. Kyren has played really well all week, so he thoroughly deserves it. I didn’t feel very good at all today. I was hoping something might happen to give me a bit of a spur, but I didn’t have it. I was cueing absolutely around corners all day, and the more you miss, the harder it gets. All of the misses I made, Kyren punished me every time.
“There are positives, I suppose, but I need to start playing a lot better than I am. That’s the main thing, because it’s okay winning, but I don’t really like winning when I’m not playing anywhere near my best. I’ve got a lot to work on to get up to the standard of Kyren and the other top players. I’ll fly home in the morning and then go to China on Wednesday. It would be good if I could have a bit of a run there and get into the top 16.”
There isn’t much to add. Kyren played the best snooker all week and is a fully deserving winner.
That Kyren “looked up” to Alex Higgins is just baffling for me, unless by that he only means “looked up to the way he played snooker” because, as persons they couldn’t be more different. Yes, Alex Higgins changed the way snooker is played, making it much more enthralling and watchable for the young people and, in general, for those who only just discovered the sport. He deserves credit for that. But, as a human being, he was pretty horrible He was selfish, nasty and often prone to violence. On several occasion he behaved abusively and dishonestly both towards colleagues and towards his wife. That is not “being a character”, it’s just being a unpleasant, insensitive, and contemptible person. His alcohol abuse isn’t an excuse, it’s only another of his many flaws. I’m a woman, I never understood the “Alex Higgins cult”.
Kyren Wilson reached the final of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open for the second time by beating Sam Craigie 6-5 in an incredible finish to their semi-final in Belfast.
Craigie will be devastated to have missed chances to reach his first ranking final, and experience eventually paid off for Wilson as he came from 5-3 down to take the last three frames. Nerves affected both players in a thrilling decider but 2024 World Champion Wilson cleared from yellow to pink to reach his 19th ranking final.
On Sunday he’ll face Mark Williams or Jak Jones, with first to nine frames to lift the Alex Higgins Trophy and win £100,000. Wilson will be aiming for an 11th ranking title, which would put him 12th on his own on the all-time list ahead of Jimmy White, and it would be his first ranking crown since the Players Championship 19 months ago.
Since then, the 34-year-old Englishman has won huge invitation titles at the Shanghai Masters and the Masters, but those did not count towards his ranking tally and on the projected list for qualification for the 2027 World Championship he remains outside the top 16. However, victory tomorrow would boost his position and set him on track for a guaranteed Crucible berth.
Breaks of 54 and 95 gave Wilson an early 2-0 lead, then world number 72 Craigie pulled one back with a 78 in frame three. Wilson’s 98 made it 3-1 at the interval but he made a series of errors over the next four frames as underdog Craigie took control. Notably in the sixth, Wilson missed a short-range red to a top corner on 51 and his opponent later punished him with a 56 clearance, and further runs of 55 and 100 from Craigie left him on the verge of victory at 5-3.
A run of 60 helped world number nine Wilson pull one back, then in frame ten Craigie had the balls at his mercy but on 28 he went in-off after potting the blue and flicking off another red, handing his opponent the chance to make 56 for 5-5.
Tyneside’s 32-year-old Craigie, playing the biggest frame of a pro career which started in 2011, had a scoring chance after a huge fluke on the blue and made 49 before missing a tough long red. Wilson’s clearance attempt ended when the pink hit the near jaw of a centre pocket, but Craigie then failed to clip the last red into a baulk corner. Still the momentum swung back and forth as Wilson missed the yellow to centre, then Craigie’s effort from long range was several inches wide. Finally, Wilson settled the result with a gritty clearance.
“I’m relieved and delighted, I wanted to be part of the showpiece final,” said Wilson, who beat Judd Trump in the final here two years ago. “The venue here is fantastic when it gets to one table, and if I’d gone out in the semis, it would have been bittersweet with how well I’ve played this week.
“I’m proud of the way I managed to bounce back from 5-3. The ranking points are very top-heavy in terms of money, so if you can get to the final, the bonuses that come with it are massive. And obviously it’s another opportunity to win a big tournament.
“Maybe Sam went a little bit too aggressive towards the end. He took a red on down the cushion, which was very high tariff, and it gave me the chance to get back into the frame.
“It would be lovely to have my family here tomorrow. We’ve just got to rely on the storm not to ruin that, but we’ll see. If I play Jak, it’s a repeat of the 2024 world final, my biggest ever success, so that would be great. On the other hand, you’ve got an all-time legend in Mark Williams who I really look up to. He’s such a great ambassador for snooker. He does it in his own unique way, which is fascinating, and I would love to play him in the final.”
Jak Jones came from 4-1 down to beat Mark Williams 6-5 in an enthralling semi-final at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, setting up a repeat of the 2024 Crucible final against Kyren Wilson.
On a day of high drama at the Waterfront Hall, with both matches going to the last few balls, Jones enjoyed an unlikely fight-back against three-time World Champion Williams, who had earlier missed a routine yellow on the brink of a 5-1 lead. Chasing a third ranking title of what has been a breakthrough season, Jones is through to face Wilson who earlier edged out Sam Craigie 6-5.
First to nine frames on Sunday will lift the Alex Higgins Trophy and earn £100,000. When the pair met in the World Championship final two years ago, Wilson raced into a 7-0 lead and eventually won 18-14, so this time Jones will be determined to compete from the start. The 33-year-old Welshman had never won a ranking title coming into this season but landed the Championship League in July then added the British Open in September.
He is into his fourth ranking final and is sure to jump at least six places from his current position of 24th in the world; victory would leave him well placed to qualify automatically for both the UK Championship and the Masters.
Veteran 51-year-old Williams missed out on a second ranking final of the season, having finished runner-up to Ali Carter at the BetVictor English Open, and the chance to extend his record as the oldest ever winner of a ranking title, set a year ago at the Xi’an Grand Prix.
Jones took the opening frame with a break of 87 and he had first chance in the next but made just 12 before missing a difficult plant on a red to a top corner. Williams compiled runs of 24 and 48 for 1-1 then took the lead with a break of 78. In frame four, Jones was on 8 when a red to top corner went awry, and his opponent responded with 49 and 29 to go 3-1 up at the interval.
World number eight Williams extended his advantage with a break of 96, and he looked set to go 5-1 ahead until he missed the yellow to a baulk corner leading 50-31 in frame six. Jones made a superb clearance, including a tough black to the same corner, to raise his hopes of a recovery. A run of 59 put Jones in charge of the seventh, and he sealed it by potting the final brown after his opponent had gained the two snookers he needed. Runs of 38 and 37 in the next brought Jones back to all square at 4-4.
In frame nine, Jones trailed 39-21 when he missed an awkward pink to a top corner, handing Williams an opening to regain the lead. Jones responded with a run of 89 for 5-5, and had a chance to clear from 44-0 down in the decider but ran out of position on 37. A safety exchange on the last red was resolved when Jones fluked it to a top corner, but he then missed the brown with the rest leading 58-44. Williams went full-blooded for a double on the brown to a baulk corner, failing by a tiny margin, and this time Jones potted the balls he needed.
“It was a crazy game, I missed so many balls, I played terrible,” insisted Cwmbran’s Jones. “Mark missed a couple at the wrong time for him, but he was the best player in the match. I just managed to stick in there and twitch my way to the final.
“My arm was just a nightmare. In such a big match, in such an arena, it’s not a good place to be but I tried not to give up completely. I used to play badly and lose, so to be playing badly and winning against the best players in the world is a step in the right direction. Hopefully I can get on the practice table in the morning and give Kyren a bit of a game.
“I haven’t really seen a lot of Kyren, but I’ve heard he’s playing really well. He’s back in form, probably playing the best out of anyone this week. Kyren in form is as difficult as it gets. I’ll feel different mentally going into the final, definitely. Now that I’ve won tournaments, I have got that belief. I don’t want to be losing in finals, so hopefully I can just play better.“
Both reports are comprehensive enough. You will find more details about the frame scores on snooker.org, as always.
The first semi-final was a very high quality and high scoring affair: between them Kyren and Sam scored no less than 10 breaks over 50. Somehow, I suppose, experience eventually aided Kyren to prevail. Sam at his best, is very, very good and extremely dangerous. Those who have watched him play over the years know that. But, that isn’t really reflected by his results over his career so far. The reason is that, although he’s only 32 years old, Sam has suffered a severe chronic neck and shoulder injury, including a slipped C5/6 cervical disc that required anterior cervical disc replacement surgery in July 2024. He deserves every credit for his perseverance despite the painful health issues he went through.
