Kyren Wilson thrashes Jak Jones 9-2 to win Northern Ireland Open and 11th ranking title

Kyren Wilson ended a long wait for silverware in emphatic style on Sunday, beating Jak Jones 9-2 in the Northern Ireland Open final at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. The Englishman compiled three centuries, won the Alex Higgins Trophy for the second time in three years and collected the £100,000 winner's cheque. The match finished just after 8pm local time, which was a little after 4am on Monday in Malaysia.

A rematch that never became a contest

The final repeated the 2024 World Championship final, which Wilson won 18-14 at the Crucible. That match went deep into the last session. This one was effectively settled in the afternoon.

Wilson opened with a break of 101. Jones levelled with a 72, but then scored only 10 points across the next three frames, and runs of 60 and 135 put Wilson 4-1 up at the mid-session interval. Jones replied with a 130 clearance in frame six. Wilson answered with 67 and 105 to lead 6-2 after the first session.

The evening session lasted barely an hour. Wilson won a scrappy ninth frame and the tenth, then finished the job with a 75 in frame 11.

Both men came through deciders

Both finalists needed a deciding frame to reach Sunday. On Saturday, Wilson came from 5-3 down to beat Sam Craigie 6-5, which denied Craigie a first ranking final. Jones trailed Mark Williams 4-1 in the other semi-final and also won 6-5, in a match that ran close to midnight. He had also needed a decider against Scott Donaldson in the quarter-finals. Coverage of the final suggested the Welshman looked tired, and he was well below the level he had shown earlier in the week.

The week was full of upsets. Zhao Xintong, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy and Ronnie O'Sullivan all lost in the first round.

What the title means for Wilson

This is Wilson's 11th ranking title, which moves him to 12th on the all-time list of ranking event winners. It is also his first since the Players Championship in March 2025, more than 19 months ago, and that was the last time he had reached a ranking semi-final.

He stays ninth in the world rankings, but the result matters more than that suggests. He had slipped from second in the rankings and was at risk of dropping out of the top 16, which would have meant qualifying for the 2027 World Championship. That threat now looks much smaller.

Wilson also goes top of the Home Nations Series order of merit. The Scottish Open and Welsh Open are still to come, and the player who earns the most prize money across all four Home Nations events receives a £150,000 bonus.

Jones still enjoying his best season

Jones misses out on a third title of the campaign, having won the Championship League in July and the British Open a few weeks later. Wilson has now won six of their seven meetings on the main tour, according to SnookerHQ's head-to-head record.

Both players head straight to China. The International Championship in Nanjing runs from Saturday 31 October to Saturday 7 November. Nanjing shares Malaysia's UTC+8 time zone, so its sessions will be easy for local fans to follow live.

Key takeaways

• Kyren Wilson beat Jak Jones 9-2 to win the 2026 Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
• Wilson made centuries of 101, 135 and 105. Jones's best was a 130.
• It is Wilson's 11th ranking title and his first since March 2025. He also won this event in 2024.
• Wilson leads the Home Nations Series race for the £150,000 bonus.
• Both finalists play next at the International Championship in Nanjing, starting 31 October.

FAQ

What was the score in the 2026 Northern Ireland Open final? Kyren Wilson beat Jak Jones 9-2. Wilson led 6-2 after the afternoon session and won the three frames he needed in the evening.

How much did Kyren Wilson win in Belfast? The champion's prize was £100,000. Wilson also moved to the top of the Home Nations Series order of merit, which carries a £150,000 bonus at the end of the series.

When is the next snooker ranking event? The International Championship in Nanjing, China, runs from 31 October to 7 November 2026. Both Wilson and Jones have qualified for it.

Sources: World Snooker Tour, Love Belfast, Totally Snookered, SnookerHQ, Wikipedia