Wilson beats Jones to claim Northern Ireland Open
On 25 October 2026 Kyren Wilson beat Jak Jones 9-2 at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast to win the Northern Ireland Open, taking a 6-2 lead after the afternoon session and then winning the opening three frames of the evening to complete the victory.
Wilson, 34, secured his second Northern Ireland Open title in three years and carried his impressive tournament form into the final; the match was a repeat of the 2024 World Championship final, which Wilson also won, and Wilson, who beat Judd Trump in the 2024 decider, entered the fixture in strong form.
Wilson led 6-2 at the interval after being helped by three century breaks across the tournament and made an emphatic start to the final with a 101 break in the first frame; Jones won the second but Wilson then took the next three frames with contributions that included breaks of 60 and 135.
Jones responded with a run of 130 in the sixth frame, but Wilson regained control and won the final two frames of the afternoon session to move to within three of the title.
The former world champion continued to dominate in the evening session, winning the opening three frames to complete a 9-2 scoreline and lift the Alex Higgins trophy.
"I am buzzing, it's a really great tournament. I love to be a part of it and I have built a nice little CV here," Wilson told BBC Sport NI. "Three centuries later and going in at the interval at 6-2, I felt very strong. Then it was a tricky one to prepare for because your mind is thinking, 'right, I've won'. "However, then the little demon in the back of your head is saying, 'no, don't think you've won, you could lose it' so you've just got to go through the right processes and I made sure I was here with plenty of time, made sure I ate well, had a little bit of rest time in the hotel room and just go about my business as usual." He added: "Obviously the trophy has got an absolute legend of our sport's name on it in, so I am very grateful that I can take this trophy home for a second time. "I think the fans in Belfast quite like to see positive snooker. They like to see players going for their shots and maybe just trying to do something a little bit different every now and again when frames are over and that's what I'm all about. "I'm about trying to entertain people and also trying to get the win at the same time, which is not an easy balance sometimes. I am very glad I managed to do that this week."
The victory is the world number nine's 11th ranking title and his first since the Players Championship in 2025.