Sebastian Bialecki and Jermaine Wattimena each claimed their first PDC ProTour titles in Hildesheim this week. Bialecki triumphed at Players Championship 22 on Tuesday, defeating Dutchman Niels Zonneveld 8-6 in the final. On Wednesday, Jermaine Wattimena followed suit at Players Championship 23, beating Germany’s Lukas Wenig 8-5 to finally capture his maiden ranking title.
Bialecki’s win marked a breakthrough for Polish darts. Trailing 4-6 in the final, the 21-year-old produced a superb comeback with legs of 15, 12 and 13 darts to seal victory. In doing so, he became only the third Polish player to win a senior PDC ranking title, joining Krzysztof Ratajski and Radek Szaganski.
After six consecutive first-round exits on the ProTour, Bialecki’s turnaround was emphatic. He posted ton-plus averages and nailed big checkouts – including 161 and 156 – in his semi-final win over Danny Noppert. Earlier victories came against Lukas Wenig, Adam Paxton, Luke Woodhouse, and Cameron Menzies. “I don’t know what to say – I’m over the moon,” said Bialecki. “The game against Cameron was the key one. I’d lost five times in the last 16 before this, and that win gave me belief.”
Zonneveld also produced standout performances on his way to a first ranking final, averaging over 101 in round one and taking out the likes of Joe Cullen, Wesley Plaisier and Jamai van den Herik. Five Dutch players reached the quarter-finals, including Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen, the latter averaging nearly 107 in round three. Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson delivered the event’s top average of 110.18 against Max Hopp.
On Wednesday, the spotlight turned to Jermaine Wattimena, who finally ended a decade-long wait for a PDC title at Players Championship 23. The Dutchman had previously lost six ProTour finals and one major final, but produced a composed and clinical performance to defeat Lukas Wenig 8-5 in the final. His emotional reaction after landing a 107 finish to seal victory said it all.
Wattimena averaged 103 and 104 in early-round wins over Jose de Sousa and Rob Owen, hit a 157 checkout against Gabriel Clemens, and edged out Danny Noppert and Ryan Joyce before cruising past Bradley Brooks in the semi-finals. “I finally have a title – this means so much,” said Wattimena. “I wasn’t always at my best today, but all that matters is I won.”
Lukas Wenig, contesting his first Players Championship final, impressed on home soil with wins over Mario Vandenbogaerde, Tom Bissell, Jimmy van Schie, Daryl Gurney, and Wessel Nijman, the latter falling in a thrilling decider settled by a 109 checkout.
Elsewhere, the day saw a nine-darter from Gian van Veen, a stunning 114.03 average by Ryan Joyce, and a memorable moment for Dennie Olde Kalter, who celebrated his first ProTour wins after 20 straight first-round exits.
The PDC ProTour resumes August 25-26 with Players Championships 24 and 25, streamed live on PDCTV.
