There is a new name at the top of the WDF men’s rankings as Andy Baetens has moved to the summit after winning four consecutive titles in April.
The Belgian had signed off for 2022 with victories in the Bruges and Czech Opens and was a runner-up to Berry van Peer in the Dutch Open in late January earlier this year.
The two-time Lakeside quarter-finalist was then back in the winners’ enclosure as he completed the double in Zagreb in mid-April, picking up the Croatian Open and Masters titles.
Baetens, known as The Beast, followed that up just two weeks later with another pair of tournament victories, claiming both the Denmark Open and Masters crowns.
His success in the gold-ranked Denmark Open saw him average 100.78 and claim six legs on the spin to beat reigning WDF world champion Neil Duff 6-2 in the final.
Baetens then got the better of Martyn Turner 6-3 in the final of the Denmark Masters, with a fourth successive title moving ‘The Beast’ above Jelle Klaasen and to the top of the world rankings.
Early spots in the 2024 WDF World Championships have been snapped up in recent months, with Ky Smith and Amanda Loch both qualifying for next year’s Lakeside after clinching victories in the gold-ranked South Australian Classic.
Joining Baetens in securing an automatic spot at Lakeside with a Denmark Open title was Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who got the better of Irina Armstrong 5-2 in the women’s final.
Back in February, Jordan Brooks picked up his maiden WDF ranking title after coming through a field of close to 500 players to win the Scottish Open.
Deta Hedman continues to add to her unrivalled number of tournament wins as she won the women’s event in Renfrew.
In March, it was the Beau Greaves show again at the Isle of Man Festival of Darts, with the women’s number one claiming both women’s titles for the second year in a row.
Meanwhile, Africa played host to their first WDF ranking event in four years with the silver-graded Egypt Open in March.
Bahrain’s Basem Mahmood won the men’s title, with Uganda’s Sarah Makanga taking top honours in the women’s competition.
—–ENDS—–
Alex Moss presents the Weekly Dartscast
Images: PDC Europe
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