The Englishman got here into the match below the radar after an underwhelming marketing campaign, throughout which he has handled difficult household points away from the desk.
Nevertheless, he proved a deserved winner of the £500,000 prime prize after producing arguably the very best snooker of his profession over the 17-day occasion.
It additionally supplied him with a second of redemption in what’s thought to be the game’s final check, after his 18-8 defeat by Ronnie O’Sullivan in his solely earlier World Championship ultimate in 2020.
Whereas there was no fairytale conclusion for Jones, the quiet Welshman – who got here into the match as a 200-1 outsider – has gained loads of admirers for his excellent matchplay and fantastic temperament.
Jones was solely the ninth qualifier in 47 years on the Crucible to achieve the ultimate and was inside touching distance of emulating his compatriot Terry Griffiths, in 1979, and Shaun Murphy, in 2005, in going all the best way to win the title.
“It has been an unbelievable match for me. A few month in the past I used to be twitching in my first qualifying match. It has been an extended month however I am proud of it,” he mentioned.
“I’m proud as a result of I don’t suppose I’ve performed that effectively, so to beat among the greatest gamers on the planet and get to a ultimate – and so near profitable – provides me confidence.”
And there will even be a spot for him alongside the sport’s elite when the rankings are revised this month, with Jones climbing from forty fourth to 14th on the planet because of his beautiful journey to the ultimate – which noticed him come via two qualification matches and spend 22 hours longer in motion than his opponent.