Jak Jones Stuns Selby 10-6 to Win the 2026 British Open
Jak Jones has produced the best performance of his career to defeat Mark Selby 10-6 in the final of the Unibet British Open 2026, claiming the Clive Everton Trophy, a cheque for £100,000, and his place among snooker’s multiple ranking event winners. It was a display of composure, quality and sheer nerve that leaves no doubt: the 33-year-old from Cwmbran is now one of the most dangerous players in world snooker.
A Week to Remember
Jones’s run through the British Open draw was extraordinary by any standard. The Welshman knocked out Judd Trump in the semi-finals on Saturday — a result that would be the career highlight for most players — and then followed it up with an even more impressive performance against four-time World Champion Selby in the final.
This is Jones’s second ranking title of the season, following his Championship League triumph in July, making him the 46th player in snooker history to hold multiple ranking crowns. He jumps from 31st to 22nd in the world rankings and rockets to third on the one-year list — numbers that reflect a player whose career has shifted into an entirely new gear.
The Final: How Jones Won It
The first session finished level at 4-4, with neither player able to establish a decisive advantage. The contest was tight, tactical, and played at the highest level — exactly the kind of match that Selby, the master of attritional snooker, typically wins.
But the evening session belonged to Jones.
He took the opening frame of the night with breaks of 44 and 30, before Selby responded with a century — a break of 100 — to level at 5-5. It was the sixth time the scores had been tied, and the match could have gone either way.
Then Jones pulled away. A break of 65 put him ahead in frame 11, and a critical moment arrived in frame 12: Selby, on 66 and looking set to level again, overcut a routine red to a top corner. The miss was uncharacteristic, and Jones pounced — laying a clever snooker on the green and eventually clearing to lead 7-5 for the first time with genuine daylight.
Frame 13 produced its own drama. Trailing 56-45, Jones potted the penultimate red from distance but saw the cue ball drop unluckily into a centre pocket. Selby capitalised to reduce the deficit to 7-6. In frame 14, however, Selby under-hit an awkward black to a top corner while using the extended spider rest, and Jones punished the error with a run of 53 for 8-6. A break of 62 soon made it 9-6.
The clinching frame was pure theatre. Jones potted six reds with blacks before a tricky red to centre on 48 caught the far jaw. Selby fought back to the colours, but a tough final green stayed out — and that proved his last shot. Jones calmly slotted in green, brown, blue and pink to seal a 10-6 victory and the biggest title of his career.
From Crucible Finalist to British Open Champion
Jones’s trajectory over the past two years has been remarkable. A promising junior who won the European under-19 Championship back in 2010, he spent over a decade grinding through the professional ranks without a breakthrough — a familiar story on the snooker tour, where talent alone guarantees nothing.
The turning point came at the 2024 World Championship, where Jones reached the final before falling to Kyren Wilson. That run — a first Crucible final — was the moment his career changed. The belief it gave him has been visible in everything he has done since.
«Winning a ranking event is better than coming runner-up in a World Championship,» Jones said after the final. «To finally win a big tournament like this — I thought it might not happen. It’s been tough for 15 years. I’ve been battling away but haven’t really achieved that much, so to start winning titles feels amazing.»
On beating Selby, Jones was characteristically humble:
«I felt I dragged Mark down a little bit throughout the day. I just kind of battled away and made a few 50 and 60 breaks. But to beat someone like Mark, who’s an all-time great and has won everything in the game, is incredible. It’s definitely the best day of my career.»
Selby: Gracious in Defeat
For Selby, it was a bittersweet end to what had been a remarkable few weeks. The four-time World Champion won the China Open just three weeks earlier, dismantling Noppon Saengkham 10-6 in the final after back-to-back 6-1 demolitions of Wilson and Robertson in earlier rounds. He arrived at the British Open as the hottest player on tour.
But the demands of three consecutive events in the Far East, followed by a gruelling week in Cheltenham — where he needed deciding frames in each of his first three matches — appeared to catch up with the 43-year-old. His 27th ranking title will have to wait.
Selby, banking £45,000 as runner-up, moves from fourth to second in the world rankings, behind only Zhao Xintong. His assessment of Jones was generous and accurate: «Jak played great from start to finish, he scored well and his safety was good. He was the best player on the day. I felt it was only a matter of time before he started winning titles.»
A Title and a Baby
Jones’s week was made all the more remarkable by the circumstances at home. His wife Inna is due to give birth to their second son within days. The fact that Jones maintained his focus and composure under such personal pressure — through a semi-final against Trump and a final against Selby — speaks volumes about his mental strength.
The Welshman can now celebrate with the Clive Everton Trophy in hand and a new addition to the family on the horizon. For Jak Jones, September 2026 will be a month he never forgets.
What This British Open Told Us
The 2026 British Open will be remembered as one of the most dramatic ranking events of recent years. Among its many storylines:
- Chris Wakelin beat Brecel and continued his China Open heroics before falling to Zhang Anda;
- Iulian Boiko stunned Ding Junhui 4-1 before Selby ended his run;
- David Gilbert whitewashed Williams and eliminated defending champion Murphy before Trump demolished him 4-0;
- Wilson and Robertson both suffered early exits amid ongoing form struggles;
- O’Sullivan withdrew for medical reasons;
- Stan Moody eliminated Zhang Anda and Higgins in a single day;
- And through it all, Jak Jones quietly, relentlessly, brilliantly won the tournament.
The Welshman’s name is now engraved on the Clive Everton Trophy. Given the way he is playing, it may not be the last time.
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