Jak Jones claimed the British Open title on Sunday with a 10-6 victory over Mark Selby in the final, adding a second ranking trophy of the season to his breakthrough Championship League win. The 33-year-old Welshman, who first turned professional in 2010 and reached the World Championship final in 2024, had never lifted silverware before this season.
Tough route to the title
Jones beat Judd Trump in the semi-finals and Chang Bingyu in the last 32, meaning he defeated the three other players who have won titles this season: Selby (China Open), Trump (Shanghai Masters) and Chang (Wuhan Open).
'It's been difficult for the last 15 years,' Jones told Channel 5. 'I've been battling away, especially for my parents and my wife and son. It's unbelievable because I haven't really achieved a lot in the game, but this season, to start winning things just feels amazing.'
Baby news and tiredness
Jones and his wife are expecting their second child in the coming days. After his first win in Cheltenham on Tuesday, he told Metro: 'In the next 10 days or so. So not ideal preparation, no. My mind's on other things I suppose at the moment, more important things. But I'll keep turning up and then hopefully when the little one's here we can relax.'
He commuted from Cwmbran for every match, saying: 'I didn't stay in a hotel at all. I was travelling back and forth. That wasn't ideal, really. Because I was playing in the evening, I was getting home at 1am every morning. But I was kind of getting away with it because I was playing in the evening all the time, until today, where it was a bit of a struggle. I felt unbelievably tired. So, I wouldn't say I played with freedom, but I had other things on my mind, I suppose.'
Family tribute and next steps
Jones paid tribute to his parents, Debbie and Colin, after landing the £100,000 top prize. 'They've gone through all the struggles with me. They've supported me from the beginning, taken me everywhere, no matter where it is. My mum still takes me to all the airports now for all the tournaments. She wanted to bring me up here today, but I told her to stay at home just in case my wife needed her.'
He has opted out of the English Open in Brentwood, where he was scheduled to play Chang Bingyu again on Monday, saying: 'No, my wife would kill me, I think.' Jones is likely to be back in action on September 17 when he faces Liam Pullen in an International Championship qualifier in Leicester.
