Wednesday 1 May 2019 18:32, UK
Jeffrey de Zwaan claimed his second senior PDC title with a dominant victory over Stephen Bunting at Players Championship 14 in Barnsley on Wednesday.
The opening day of mid-week Pro Tour action on Tuesday saw William O'Connor claim his maiden PDC title, but just over a year on from winning his first Players Championship crown, De Zwaan added to his haul with an 8-2 win over Bunting.
"I played really well today - the feeling was that I was flying, every dart I was throwing was going straight in and that's a great feeling," De Zwaan, who moves up to 36th on the PDC Order of Merit, said.
"I'm happy with the win. I'm feeling good, my confidence is there and the darts are going great and I'm really happy.
"Last year I reached the semi-final of the World Matchplay and the pressure grows on you. Now I've learned how that feels and I'm dealing with the pressure and playing well again."
The 23-year-old posted five ton-plus averages en route to glory; kicking off proceedings with a high-quality 6-4 win over Luke Woodhouse before easing past James Wilson in a scrappy affair.
'The Black Cobra' then posted averages of 106.5 and 102.4 to defeat the St Helen's duo of Michael Smith and Dave Chisnall, before he edged out World Championship quarter-finalist Ryan Joyce in a last-leg decider to reach the semi-finals.
In the last four, De Zwaan faced former World Youth champion Arron Monk who continued his fine start to 2019, but the Dutchman reeled off five straight legs from 3-2 down to beat Monk 7-3.
Appearing in his fifth PDC ranking final, De Zwaan stormed into an early 4-0 lead and later closed out an emphatic 8-2 victory to land the £10,000 top prize.
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Although Bunting was denied in Wednesday's showpiece, he performed superbly throughout the day to reach his first Players Championship final since October 2017.
He kicked off his campaign with a whitewash win over Jamie Lewis, before edging out Jamie Hughes in a dramatic eleven-leg tussle.
Bunting posted consecutive ton-topping averages to see off Corey Cadby and Jelle Klaasen, before recording a 6-3 win over Joe Cullen to seal his place in the semi-finals.
'The Bullet' then faced Darius Labanauskas in an eventful affair. The Lithuanian led 5-2 before a breeze prompted a stoppage in play and Bunting returned to claim five legs on the spin to reach the final.
Departing Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld suffered a first round exit against Krzysztof Ratajski, who averaged an incredible 112.30 to record a 6-1 win.
Elsewhere, Premier League stars Michael Smith and Mensur Suljovic bowed out in round three alongside Adrian Lewis.
Gary Anderson exited at the same stage against his inspired compatriot Peter Wright, who defeated the two-time world champion 6-0 with an average of over 114.
However, Wright slipped to defeat in the quarter-finals, along with Gerwyn Price, Glen Durrant, Dave Chisnall and Simon Whitlock.
The next Players Championship double-header will be held on May 18-19 at the Barnsley Metrodome, with two further £75,000 tournaments taking place.
The Premier League continues as we head to the Manchester Arena on Thursday, May 2. You can also stay up to date with all the action by following us @SkySportsDarts and get all the latest news, previews and interviews www.skysports.com/darts
