Karel Sedlacek (Photo PDC)
Karel Sedlacek became the first Czech player to win a PDC ranking title courtesy of a historic 8-7 victory over Scott Williams in Wednesday’s Players Championship 30 showpiece in Den Bosch.
Sedlacek defied nine maximums from a resurgent Williams to triumph in a breathless decider, squandering seven match darts before regaining his poise to celebrate a famous win.
The 47-year-old was impregnable in the early stages of Wednesday’s event, conceding just two legs in emphatic victories over Tavis Dudeney, Daniel Klose and Damon Heta.
Sedlacek averaged almost 106 in his demolition of Australia’s number one, and he continued his charge with a 6-3 success against former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
The Czech trailblazer then fought back from 3-0 and 4-1 down to stun Chris Dobey in the last eight, before dispatching Niels Zonneveld 7-2 in advancing to his maiden PDC ranking final.
Williams’ relentless scoring power saw him establish a 4-2 lead in their winner-takes-all clash, but successive 123, 80 and 164 finishes from Sedlacek saw him regain control of the contest at 5-4.
The pendulum shifted once more when Sedlacek missed five darts to complete an 8-5 win, although he held his nerve in an incredible finale, after a wayward dart from Williams denied him the chance to convert a match-winning 112 checkout.
“For me it’s a really special time,” reflected a visibly emotional Sedlacek.
“I have been waiting for this for more than ten years and now it’s a reality. It’s crazy.
“I missed five match darts and thought what could I do more. I went step-by-step and I said ‘you can do it!’
“It still sounds like a dream. I’m really happy, but I said last Saturday when I lost against Gian [van Veen], I played really well.
“It means everything. I have played more than 30 years, and now I’ve done it. I don’t know what to say. For me, I think that’s the top [moment] of my career.
“Darts is growing in Czech Republic day by day. There are more and more players and good players. I think this is one of the best points of my career.”
Despite missing out a second PDC ranking title, Williams performed magnificently at Maassport Den Bosch, averaging 99.36 across seven matches to boost his World Championship qualification hopes.
The 36-year-old – who was £6,000 adrift of the provisional cut-off prior to Wednesday’s play – crashed in an astonishing 33 180s throughout the day in claiming the £10,000 runner-up prize.
The former World Championship semi-finalist claimed the scalps of Mensur Suljovic and Danny Noppert to kick off proceedings, which he backed up with a monstrous 110.41 average against Richard Veenstra.
Williams then averaged 103 in sweeping aside Tommy Lishman, before dumping out Dutch duo Michael van Gerwen and Jermaine Wattimena in reaching his first ProTour final since last June.
Wattimena’s run to the semi-finals saw him follow up averages of 103 and 101 with deciding-leg victories against Martin Schindler and Steve Lennon, only to fall short in his pursuit of success on home soil.
Zonneveld was similarly impressive, opening his campaign with a 106.47 average, before recording wins over Sebastian Bialecki, Luke Woodhouse and Raymond van Barneveld to reach his first Players Championship semi-final of 2026.
Dutch legends Van Barneveld and Van Gerwen headlined the quarter-final line-up, as the pair produced some vintage performances in Den Bosch.
Van Barneveld registered a quartet of 6-2 victories to reach his first ranking quarter-final of the season, which also moves him into the provisional World Championship qualification places.
Van Gerwen, meanwhile, avenged Tuesday’s defeat against Benjamin Pratnemer with victory over the Slovenian in round one, before averaging 107.47 to triumph in a pulsating all-Dutch affair against Jimmy van Schie.
Lennon – competing in his first PDC ranking quarter-final since February 2024 – completed the last eight line-up alongside Dobey, also a quarter-finalist in Tuesday’s Players Championship 29.
Tuesday’s champion Cameron Menzies saw his bid for back-to-back titles curtailed by Callan Rydz in their opening round clash, as Rydz recovered from 5-1 down to complete a remarkable fightback.
Elsewhere, Josh Rock suffered a chastening 6-1 defeat to Mario Vandenbogaerde at the same stage, leaving his hopes of qualifying for November’s Players Championship Finals in serious jeopardy.
The year’s penultimate Players Championship double-header will take place on October 28-29 in Den Bosch, as the sport’s leading stars return to the Netherlands for Players Championships 31-32 next month.
RESULTS
Last 16
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Brendan Dolan
Scott Williams 6-3 Tommy Lishman
Steve Lennon 6-4 Kevin Doets
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Martin Schindler
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Luke Woodhouse
Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Chris Dobey 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Karel Sedlacek 6-3 Nathan Aspinall
Quarter-Finals
Scott Williams 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Steve Lennon
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Chris Dobey
Semi-Finals
Scott Williams 7-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Karel Sedlacek 7-2 Niels Zonneveld
Final
Karel Sedlacek 8-7 Scott Williams
