Kevin Doets claimed his maiden PDC ranking title as he beat Luke Woodhouse 8-5 in the final of Players Championship 13 in Hildesheim.
The Dutchman featured in back-to-back semi-finals during last week’s ProTour double-header, but he broke through that barrier at Halle 39 before denying Woodhouse in Monday’s showpiece.
The pair were the two highest-ranked players without a PDC title to their name, and it looked like it would be Woodhouse to buck that trend after establishing a 4-2 lead.
However, Doets burst into life with a two-dart 100 checkout in leg seven – sparking a five-leg sequence which saw him take control of the contest.
The 27-year-old followed up his second 11-darter by converting consecutive 105 and 128 finishes to lead 7-4, before defying some late nerves to triumph with his ninth match dart.
“Finally! What a relief,” said Doets, who averaged 100.61 to claim the £15,000 top prize.
“My confidence is growing. I have been playing pretty well lately, and I showed it again today.
“I was a bit nervous in the beginning of the final, but as soon as I got into it, I played great.”
Doets added: “The next goal for me is to get into the top 16 of the world and win a major [title], because I have shown everyone that I have the game to do it.”
Earlier in the day, Dirk van Duijvenbode added another nine-dart finish to his growing haul, producing perfection in his opening round tie against Madars Razma.
Michael van Gerwen – the solitary Premier League star in action – suffered a disappointingly early exit, being beaten by Krzysztof Ratajski in round three.
2026 Players Championship 13: Results
Last 16
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Viktor Tingstrom
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-4 Marvin van Velzen
Rob Owen 6-2 Tyler Thorpe
Kevin Doets 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena
Chris Dobey 6-1 Dave Chisnall
Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Darius Labanauskas 6-2 Derek Coulson
Mensur Suljovic 6-0 Ritchie Edhouse
Quarter-finals
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-4 Andrew Gilding
Kevin Doets 6-2 Rob Owen
Luke Woodhouse 6-4 Chris Dobey
Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Darius Labanauskas
Semi-finals
Kevin Doets 7-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
Luke Woodhouse 7-2 Mensur Suljovic
Final
Kevin Doets 8-5 Luke Woodhouse
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