One upon a time elite dart players had to attend almost every event to ensure their rankings, qualification for major event and in order to earn a decent living. The chances of a lesser ranked player bursting through and defeating a field of almost every top ranked player were minuscule. How times have changed.
The phenomenal success of the PDC has meant that it is increasingly no longer necessary nor indeed possible for games elite to attend every non-TV Pro Rour event. Initially it was perhaps one event or one weekend a season, following a continental Premier League, night that saw some of the top players pass and up and comers seize the day.
These occasions increased steadily and now there are several per year were up to a dozen or more top names are missing. The result was this weeks double header produced m back-to-back maiden winners
Sebastian Bialecki picked up his maiden senior PDC title on Tuesday, after defeating Niels Zonneveld (main image) 8-6 in the final of Players Championship 22, as the PDC Pro Tour double-header commenced at Halle 39, Hildesheim.
The Poland star, Bialecki, who won his PDC Tour Card for the first time via the 2024 Development Tour Order of Merit, reached the final firstly by recording victories against Lukas Wenig, Adam Paxton, Luke Woodhouse, Cameron Menzies, Gian Van Veen and Danny Noppert, to set up a clash with Zonneveld.
The final began with eight straight holds of throw between the pair, ending with Zonneveld breaking Bialecki’s throw for the first time in Leg Nine with a 15 darter before following it up with a 19 dart hold of throw to move 6-4 ahead in a race to eight. The Pole then went on to produce an incredible comeback by rattling off four successive legs and sealing victory in Leg 14 with a 13-dart break of throw to pick up a first senior PDC title as well as the £15,000 top prize.
Zonneveld’s run to a first ranking final saw the Dutchman record victories on the day against Haupai Puha, Henry Coates, Joe Cullen, Wesley Plaisier, Jamai Van den Herik and Cam Crabtree, before being denied by Bialecki. However, despite defeat in the finale, ‘Triple Z’ has moved into the provisional Pro Tour Order of Merit spots for the Boyle Sports World Grand Prix in October as he looks to make his debut in the double in double out competition.
Elsewhere, there were Quarter Final runs for Jimmy Van Schie and Matthew Dennant, whilst the likes of Wessel Nijman, Raymond Van Barneveld and Dimitri Van den Bergh amongst the high profile first round casualties.
Jermaine Wattimena picked up his first senior PDC title on Wednesday, after an 8-5 victory against Lukas Wenig in the final of Players Championship 23, as the Pro Tour double header concluded at Halle 39, Hildesheim.
The Former European Championship Runner-Up, Wattimena, reached the final firstly by recording victories against Jose De Sousa, Rob Owen, Gabriel Clemens, Danny Noppert, Ryan Joyce and Bradley Brooks, to set up a clash with Wenig.
The final began with four straight holds of throw between the pair, before the first break came from Wattimena in Leg Five with a 12-darter followed by a 14 dart hold of throw to move 4-2 ahead in a race to eight.
Wenig then pulled two legs back in a total of 36 darts to square the tie up at 4apiece, before Wattimena dominated the remainder of the tie, as he won four of the following five legs and sealed the victory in Leg 13 with a 15-dart break of throw to pick up a first PDC title of his career after a decade on the Pro Tour as well as collecting the £15,000 top prize.
Wenig’s run to a first ranking final saw the German record victories on the day against Mario Vandenbogaerde, Tom Bissell, Jimmy Van Schie, Daryl Gurney, Justin Hood and Wessel Nijman, before being denied by Wattimena.
Elsewhere, there were Quarter Final runs for Former European Champion Ross Smith and eight-time PDC title winner Mervyn King, who threatened to add a whole new layer to the generational stories of recent times, whilst the likes of Mike De Decker, Joe Cullen and Cameron Menzies were amongst the high profile first round casualties. The day also saw Dutchman Gian Van Veen fire in a nine-dart finish during his third-round victory against Ryan Meikle.
The PDC Pro Tour returns on 25-26th August at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes with Players Championship 24 & 25 taking place, with the 128 players competing for £125,000 in prize money each day, with play to commence at 13:00 BST.
Play will be broadcasted across four streaming boards on PDC.TV and various bookmaker websites worldwide, with all live scores and results on tv.dartconnect.com.
Players Championship 22
Last 16
Jimmy Van Schie 6-4 Kevin Burness
Danny Noppert 6-5 Gabriel Clemens
Sebastian Bialecki 6-4 Cameron Menzies
Gian Van Veen 6-1 Ryan Meikle
Matthew Dennant 6-2 Viktor Tingstrom
Cam Crabtree 6-4 Keane Barry
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Wesley Plaisier
Jamai Van den Herik 6-1 Karel Sedlacek
Quarter Finals
Danny Noppert 6-4 Jimmy Van Schie
Sebastian Bialecki 6-4 Gian Van Veen
Cam Crabtree 6-3 Matthew Dennant
Niels Zonneveld 6-1 Jamai Van den Herik
Semi Finals
Sebastian Bialecki 7-5 Danny Noppert
Niels Zonneveld 7-5 Cam Crabtree
Final
Sebastian Bialecki 8-6 Niels Zonneveld
Players Championship 23
Last 16
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Michael Flynn
Jermaine Wattimena 6-4 Danny Noppert
Mervyn King 6-4 Dennie Olde Kalter
Bradley Brooks 6-4 Gian Van Veen
Justin Hood 6-3 Andy Baetens
Lukas Wenig 6-2 Daryl Gurney
Ross Smith 6-3 Owen Bates
Wessel Nijman 6-4 Andreas Harrysson
Quarter Finals
Jermaine Wattimena 6-4 Ryan Joyce
Bradley Brooks 6-3 Mervyn King
Lukas Wenig 6-2 Justin Hood
Wessel Nijman 6-3 Ross Smith
Semi Finals
Jermaine Wattimena 7-2 Bradley Brooks
Lukas Wenig 7-6 Wessel Nijman
Final
Jermaine Wattimena 8-5 Lukas Wenig
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
