Wessel Nijman captured his fourth PDC title with a dramatic 8-7 victory over Gerwyn Price in a world-class final at Players Championship 2 in Hildesheim. Price produced one of the best Players Championship performances, consistently averaging over 100, but Nijman held firm in a tense decider. The Dutchman, who has now featured in five of the last eight Players Championship semi-finals, improved throughout the day, sealing the win with a 94 checkout after a 171 set-up, letting out a huge roar in celebration.
Nijman's path to glory included wins over Viktor Tingstrom (6-2), Samuel Price (6-1), Cor Dekker (6-2), Tommy Morris (6-4), and Carl Sneyd (6-2), where he averaged 106.03 in the quarter-final. He then overcame a 2-0 deficit against Ryan Searle in the semi-final, winning seven consecutive legs with his third ton-plus average of the day. Price, the number one seed, was dominant with victories over Kim Huybrechts (6-0, 102.48 average), Stephen Burton (6-2), Cristo Reyes (6-2), Luke Woodhouse (111.14 average), Michael van Gerwen (6-0, 117.12 average), and Krzysztof Ratajski (7-4, over 104 average).
The final saw tight opening stages, with Price averaging 105.21 up to that point. Key moments included Nijman cleaning up on double 16 after Price missed a 126 checkout on the bull, and Nijman breaking with a 42 checkout on double 18. Price leveled with a 144 checkout and later took the lead with a 121 bullseye, but Nijman forced a decider. In the last leg, Price left 342, and Nijman found a 171 to set up 94, which he took out in three darts. Price averaged 107.41 and hit 78% of his doubles but fell short, leaving Nijman as the new number one in the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Elsewhere, there were two nine-darters: James Hurrell hit one in a first-round win over Maik Kuivenhoven, and Gabriel Clemens struck perfection while averaging over 108 against Madars Razma. Players Championship 1 finalists Nathan Aspinall and James Wade had disappointing days, with Aspinall losing 6-4 to Niall Culleton in the first round and Wade falling in a last-leg decider in the last-16, along with Rob Cross and Gary Anderson. Gian van Veen lost 6-2 to Razma in the opening round, while Danny Noppert and Dave Chisnall reached the quarter-finals. Peter Wright suffered back-to-back first-round exits.
