Should Jak Jones claim the World Snooker Championship on Monday night at the Crucible by beating Kyren Wilson, former winner Shaun Murphy believes it would be “one of the biggest shocks in sport”.
Jones, ranked 44th in the world before the start, is bidding to become just the fourth qualifier in history to claim the title.
Alex Higgins was the first in 1972 – before the tournament moved to Sheffield – then Jones’ Welsh compatriot Terry Griffiths in 1979 and Shaun Murphy, who was the last player to achieve that feat in 2005.
“If his isn’t (the biggest shock of all) then I feel the finger points directly at me back in 2005; no one was bigger odds, I was certainly lower ranked,” Murphy told 5 Live.
“But I’ve got it down that I think if Jak Jones wins this Championship it will be not just the biggest shock in snooker of all time, but one of the biggest shocks in sport around the world ever.
“That’s the magnitude of the achievement we’re seeing so far.
“This guy got here last year, made his debut and reached the quarters. He’s then gone missing for an entire season, it’s as if he doesn’t know there’s 20 other events to play in around the world.
“He turned up here again and he’s just gone through the draw very serenely, looks completely composed and I just think stranger things have happened.”