Kyren Wilson has maintained his five-frame lead Like Jones in the final of the World Snooker Championship after sharing the third session and ending it 15–10 ahead.
Wilson built a commanding 7-1 lead in Sunday's opening session and although the Welshman improved massively in the second, the Warrior was still in control with an 11-6 lead.
The Silent Assassin had returned to the game but fought against all odds as he entered the final Monday of a World Championship for the first time.
Jones needed a strong start to keep his hopes alive and that's exactly what he got on Monday afternoon, winning the first two frames of the session with breaks of 64 and 59.
That made the score 11-8 and as close as it had been since Wilson raced to a 3-0 lead, there was no panic from the Warrior as he reasserted his dominance.
Wilson scored a 50 and an 83 before the mid-session break to move closer to victory 13-8 in front.
However, the Welshman was much more competitive at this point than during the first session, and he continued to worry the Warrior by making a break of 90 to win the 23rd and then a run of 73 to move back within three frames.
Wilson showed a hint of a wobble in this phase but found himself back on solid ground in the next phase, following an early error from Jones on a long-missed blue ball to make 87 and keep his opponent at arm's length.
The final frame of the session felt very important to Jones' chances of an unlikely victory and things did not go well for him, with Wilson again establishing a five-frame lead, although both had chances and were clearly struggling at this point.
Wilson was the first to make a break, but after coming to a stop on 32, Jones came in with a great long red, but missed a black from the spot and let the Englishman back in.
More drama ensued, with Wilson only managing 22 with that effort, but the underdog failed to capitalize, missing a yellow to center and the Warrior crossed the line, with his third chance taking him to 15 brought -10.
Both were struggling as the session came to an end, but perhaps it was the leader feeling less pressure that caused him to flop over the line.
Six-time world champion Steve Davis said on the BBC: 'Your head can be confused. One moment you are in complete control and suddenly you are in a spin.
“Kyren was just as confused, they were both gone. But at the end of the day, someone has to get themselves out and Kyren has the luxury of being ahead by a few frames.”
The players return to the Race to 18 at 7pm, with the iconic trophy and £500,000 on offer for the winner.
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