Jermaine Wattimena won the 27th Players Championship in Leicester on Tuesday, beating Kevin Doets 8-6 in the final. The Dutchman has thus secured his third PDC ranking title, pocketed £15,000 and, above all, put his form firmly in the spotlight as the race towards the major autumn events intensifies.
The story goes beyond a simple ProTour result. Wattimena also knocked out Luke Littler in the quarter-finals, 6-5, in a match that could prove decisive for the world number one’s qualification for the Players Championship Finals. According to Sky Sports, Littler leaves this first PC event of the season with just £4,000, whilst he still needs to break into the top 64 of the specific Order of Merit to reach Minehead in November.
A title forged in the heat of the moment
Wattimena’s run was no walk in the park, and that is precisely what makes this title so impressive. Against Littler, he closed out the match in a deciding frame with a 115 checkout, finished on the tops. That sort of sequence doesn’t just count on the scorecard: it gives momentum to the whole day’s play.
The semi-final confirmed the trend. Trailing 4–1 to Luke Woodhouse, Wattimena turned the match on its head by winning six legs in a row. Sky Sports noted a rather rare run of five finishes over 100 points in this comeback: 136, 135, 115, 127 and 128. At this stage, we’re no longer dealing with a player simply capitalising on an open draw. We’re seeing a player capable of holding his nerve when the pressure mounts.
In the final, Doets did try to fight back after falling behind. Wattimena had taken a 6-2 lead, but his compatriot then won four of the next five legs to get back into the match. Once again, the winner found the answer at the right moment, notably with an 11-darter in the final sprint.
Littler retains a lead, but not in this particular ranking
The most eye-catching detail for the general public is inevitably Littler’s defeat. The world champion has already ticked off several major events in 2026, but his highly selective schedule on the ProTour puts him in a less comfortable position for the Players Championship Finals. He still has opportunities, notably at Players Championship 28 taking place on Wednesday at the Mattioli Arena, but he cannot afford to keep producing mediocre performances.
This day’s result must also be put into context. Littler had got off to a good start in the tournament, with victories over Archie Self, Arno Merk, William O’Connor and then Chris Dobey, whom he swept aside 6–0 in the last 16. This setback is therefore by no means a complete collapse. Rather, it shows that, on the floor, a quarter-final can quickly become a trap when the opponent hits the right checkout at the right moment.
What the Players Championship 27 tells us about the ProTour
This Players Championship 27 had already made headlines earlier in the day with Nathan Aspinall’s 9-darter against Thibault Tricole. Wattimena’s title victory adds another dimension: the day was not only spectacular, it also shook up a few rankings.
Wattimena has reclaimed a place in the world’s top 16 at the expense of Ross Smith, according to the PDC’s official report. This is no small matter at this time of year. Seeding positions, draws and qualification for major tournaments are often decided during weeks like this, when a floor title carries more weight than it might seem.
| Tournament | Players Championship 27 |
| Venue | Mattioli Arena, Leicester |
| Final | Jermaine Wattimena 8-6 Kevin Doets |
| Winner’s prize | £15,000 |
| Key moment | Wattimena beat Littler 6-5 with a 115 checkout |
