Jak Jones

Jak Jones broke into the top echelons of professional snooker after reaching the 2024 World Snooker Championship final as a qualifier. After securing the 2010 European Under-19 Snooker Championship, defeating Anthony McGill in the final, Jak Jones turned professional in 2010. His initial professional stint saw him compete in various Players Tour Championship (PTC) events, notably reaching the last 16 at the PTC 2011/2012 – Event 2. After a brief period off tour, Jones successfully regained his professional status for the 2013-14 season via the EBSA Qualifying Tour play-offs.

In 2014, he qualified for the prestigious Australian Goldfields Open and marked a significant early career highlight by defeating then world number one Neil Robertson at the Riga Open. Jones solidified his return to the professional circuit by winning the 2016 EBSA European Championship, which secured his tour place. Throughout the late 2010s, he consistently qualified for numerous ranking events, demonstrating steady progress by reaching the fourth round of the English Open in 2016 and the second round of the International Championship that same year. After regaining his tour place once more via the 2018 Q School, Jones continued to build momentum, with his world ranking steadily improving.

His commanding performances saw him overcome formidable opponents such as Zhang Anda, Si Jiahui, and Judd Trump. Although he concluded the tournament as runner-up to Kyren Wilson, this historic achievement earned him £200,000 in prize money and propelled him to a career-high world ranking of 14th in May 2024, firmly establishing him among the top echelon of professional snooker players.