FATIGUED Jak Jones suffered the worst start to a Crucible final for 33 years.
And though he avoided a first-session whitewash, the qualifier has to mount a Dennis Taylor-style comeback to scoop the £500,000 top prize.
The Welshman, 30, could not have imagined a more terrible beginning to his maiden appearance in the business end of the World Snooker Championship.
The Silent Assassin watched hopelessly from his chair as pre-match favourite Kyren Wilson ended the opening session with a 7-1 lead.
Liverpool cueist John Parrott won the opening seven frames of the 1991 World final against Jimmy White before going on to prevail 18-11.
At least Jones managed to nab the eighth frame with a break of 65, which he celebrated with an ironic punch in the air.
Had he gone eight frames down, then it would have rivalled the dreadful scoreline that Taylor faced in the famous 1985 Black Ball final with Steve Davis.
Remarkably, the Northern Ireland potter fought back in epic fashion, completing an 18-17 victory post-midnight with millions watching on TV.
Clinical Wilson, 32, opened up the two-day final – his first since 2020 – with a spectacular 129 break.
It is the first final since 1993 – when Stephen Hendry thumped Jimmy White 18-5 – that the opening frame had seen a ton-plus break.
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That day 31 years ago, Hendry, 55, opened up with a 136 and never looked back.
Jones, the 150-1 pre-tournament outsider, decided against going to the practice table during the first mid-session break and was slammed by six-time world champion Steve Davis.
The Nugget, 66, said: “He’s been sitting in his chair for four frames. Why would you not go to the practice table?
“I don’t understand why not. He’s absolutely not even got out of the blocks, and he’s expecting to pot what could be difficult shots.
“It’s a no-brainer to me to go to the practice table.”
Jones, who prepares for matches with a Nando’s meal, wants to become the third qualifier to win the Crucible crown and he reckons the longer format suits his character.
His wife Inna is a Russian law student – they met five years ago in Riga, Latvia – but she has spent most of the tournament watching it on TV back home with his mum Debbie.
The Silent Assassin has nine siblings and has had to sort out lots of tickets for the showpiece occasion.
Meanwhile, Jones thinks it is “pathetic” when top players complain that his slow play affects their own rhythm.
He is one of the slowest snooker stars on tour and after he beat Judd Trump in the quarter-finals, the world No.2 moaned “it was a little bit slower than I’d have liked”.
The Cwmbran cueist said: “I think they’ll probably always use that excuse forever. A common excuse that these players use against me.
“They are supposed to be the best players in the world, yet they’re moaning about being knocked out of their rhythm. It seems strange to me.
“It doesn’t bother me. When I played Judd, he started off typically like Judd with a century in the first frame and I came back at him to go 3-1 up.
“I just noticed a complete change in his body language. He seemed to be taking forever on every shot compared to what he usually does.
“So it’s easy to blame what I am doing or whatever but it’s working, so I will take it.
“They cannot accept it. It’s pathetic really isn’t it? Just accept it.
“My natural game is quite fast I think. Other players in the top 16, not saying names, I regularly see go down to the late 20 seconds.
“But they always have to say that after they lose against me.
“The worst thing is I notice it when I play against them, I feel they want to play that game. It’s just an excuse.”
