Ross Smith Dominates PC16: Sixth PDC Title, Two Nine-Darters, and Three Straight Whitewashes
- Darts Central
- May 13
- 6 min read
Following Krzysztof Ratajski’s victory at Players Championship 15 yesterday, a significant result for the Polish Eagle as he climbed back into the world’s top 32 and moved into a provisional World Matchplay spot, attention turned to the second half of the double-header at Halle 39 in Hildesheim for Players Championship 16.
There was only one change to the field from yesterday’s action, with Michael van Gerwen withdrawing after another first-round exit. He was replaced by fellow Tour Card holder Andrew Gilding, who opted to take part after sitting out Players Championship 15.
Early Rounds: Smith Hits Perfect Leg & Ljubic Breaks Through
In Round 1, Jermaine Wattimena posted the highest average of the round with a 106.47 in a routine win over Ted Evetts.
Yesterday’s winner, Krzysztof Ratajski, began his campaign in dominant fashion, sweeping aside Richard Veenstra 6-1 with a 103.87 average. Other notable performances came from Niels Zonneveld (102.93), Raymond van Barneveld (101.98), and Chris Landman (100.51), who overcame Oskar Lukasiak, Jelle Klaasen, and Cor Dekker, respectively.
Despite averaging 104.41, Damon Heta suffered back-to-back first-round exits, edged out 6-4 by Brendan Dolan, who averaged 93.13, more than 11 points fewer than the Australian.
Meanwhile, Pero Ljubic finally ended a run of 15 consecutive first-round defeats on the Players Championship circuit this season, defeating an out-of-sorts Callan Rydz 6-2. Rydz managed just an 80.66 average.
However, the standout moment of the round belonged to Ross Smith, who hit the eighth nine-darter of his PDC career en route to a 6-3 win over young Irishman Dylan Slevin.
In Round 2, three of the Pro Tour’s consistent performers delivered once again. Dirk van Duijvenbode (107.53), Ross Smith (105.64), and Danny Noppert (102.61) recorded the top three averages of the round in wins over Stefan Bellmont, Steve Lennon, and Radek Szaganski, respectively.
German duo Ricardo Pietreczko and Dominik Gruellich both cruised into the last 32 with 6-0 whitewash wins over Benjamin Reus and Darryl Pilgrim. Gary Anderson also impressed with a whitewash of Adam Paxton.
Players Championship 15 winner Krzysztof Ratajski was unable to repeat his heroics, missing a match dart and falling 6-5 to Nathan Rafferty with an average of just 89.37. Peter Wright also struggled, averaging only 80.36 in a 6-3 loss to Ricky Evans.
Round 3 saw another electric display from Gary Anderson, who averaged 111.43 in a 6-1 demolition of Kim Huybrechts. Ricky Evans also impressed, posting a 102.21 average in a 6-1 win over Tytus Kanik.
Dirk van Duijvenbode continued his superb run with a 6-0 whitewash of French No.1 Thibault Tricole, while Martin Schindler, Ryan Searle, and Danny Noppert all secured routine victories to progress.
Yesterday’s finalist, Dave Chisnall, bowed out at this stage, averaging just 89.72 in a 6-2 defeat to Gabriel Clemens. Gian van Veen was another notable casualty, losing 6-3 to Darius Labanauskas.
Last 16: Dirk’s Whitewash & Evans defies Anderson
Gabriel Clemens and Brendan Dolan delivered solid displays to book their places in the quarter-finals with routine victories over Raymond van Barneveld and Jim Long, respectively.
Ross Smith continued his fine run by punishing a below-par Chris Landman, who averaged just 81.21, with a 6-3 win, sensationally landing his second nine-darter of the day. Dirk van Duijvenbode also impressed, whitewashing Darius Labanauskas 6-0 to storm into the last eight.
Despite averaging only 89.53, Kevin Doets had more than enough in the tank to see off PC14 finalist Dominik Gruellich 6-2, securing his fifth Players Championship quarter-final of the season.
Danny Noppert and Ricky Evans both came through tense last-leg deciders. Noppert survived a match dart to edge past Ryan Searle, while Evans produced a clutch finish to knock out Gary Anderson.
Although there were no ton-plus averages in the round, Luke Woodhouse came closest with a composed 99.56 in a 6-3 win over the in-form German No.1 Martin Schindler.
Quarter-Finals: Dutch Denied & Woody Reaches Last 4
Kevin Doets reached his fifth Players Championship quarter-final of the season. While it is an impressive feat, it was a familiar outcome for the Dutchman, as he fell at this stage once again, losing 6-4 to Gabriel Clemens.
Brendan Dolan held off a late fightback from Dirk van Duijvenbode to come through 6-3, while Luke Woodhouse capitalised on a sluggish start from ‘Rapid’ Ricky Evans to edge through 6-4.
Ross Smith produced the standout performance of the round, averaging 98.02 in a dominant 6-0 win over Danny Noppert, sealing a clean sweep of Dutch exits at the quarter-final stage.
Semi-Finals: Clinical Dolan Sees Off Clemens & Smith Does It Again
Gabriel Clemens was appearing in his first Players Championship semi-final since February 2023, while Brendan Dolan had more recent experience at this stage, having reached the last four at PC9 just two months ago.
Dolan raced into a 3-1 lead, but Clemens responded well, gradually applying pressure with his scoring and clawing his way back to level the match at 5-5. With the German sitting on 66 for a 6-5 lead, ‘The History Maker’ delivered a crushing 143 checkout to snatch a 6-5 advantage, before closing it out with a 15-darter to seal a 7-5 victory and a spot in the final.
The second semi-final was far more one-sided, as Ross Smith followed up his 6-0 quarter-final win with a clinical 7-0 whitewash of Luke Woodhouse. While ‘Woody’ missed early chances on the outer ring, ‘Smudger’ was relentless, averaging 105.21 to Woodhouse’s 89.24 to book his place in the final in emphatic fashion.
Road to the Final:
Ross Smith and Brendan Dolan took very different routes to reach the Players Championship 16 final, with Smith producing dominant displays throughout and Dolan coming through a series of gritty encounters. Here's a breakdown of their paths to the decider:
Round | Ross Smith | Brendan Dolan |
Last 128 | 6-3 vs Dylan Slevin | 6-4 vs Damon Heta |
Last 64 | 6-2 vs Steve Lennon | 6-2 vs Leon Weber |
Last 32 | 6-2 vs Pero Ljubic | 6-2 vs Madars Razma |
Last 16 | 6-3 vs Chris Landman | 6-2 vs Jim Long |
Quarter-Finals | 6-0 vs Danny Noppert | 6-3 vs Dirk van Duijvenbode |
Semi-Finals | 7-0 vs Luke Woodhouse | 7-5 vs Gabriel Clemens |
🏆 The Final: Smith Seals PC16 Title with Another Whitewash
Both players were chasing their first title of the season, with Ross Smith eyeing a sixth career PDC title and Brendan Dolan aiming for title number eleven. But it was ‘Smudger’ who emphatically stole the spotlight.
Smith delivered a ruthless 8-0 whitewash over Dolan, averaging 104.56 compared to the Northern Irishman’s 93.86. Dolan managed just three darts at a double throughout the final, as Smith maintained relentless scoring pressure and punished every mistake.
From the moment he capitalised on a nervy start from Dolan, Smith never let up, displaying superb composure and clinical finishing to complete one of the most dominant final displays seen on the Pro Tour this season.
It capped off an incredible run that began after Chris Landman levelled their last-16 match at 3-3. Smith reeled off 24 consecutive legs across the remainder of the tournament, including back-to-back-to-back whitewashes in the quarter-finals, semi-final, and final, a truly historic finish. His day also included two nine-darters, underscoring just how unstoppable he was from start to finish.
🏅 Champion: Ross Smith
Tournament Average: 98.57
180s: 22
Prize Money: £15,000
Highlight Performance: 6-2 2nd Round vs Steve Lennon (105.64 average)
Talking Points & Highlights
🔥 Dolan Makes the Final: Despite a one-sided defeat in the final, Brendan Dolan can take plenty of positives from the day. ‘The History Maker’ produced a string of strong performances, defeating the likes of Damon Heta, Dirk van Duijvenbode, and Gabriel Clemens to reach his first final since winning Players Championship 10 in May 2024.
🇭🇷 Ljubic Finally Does It: After 15 consecutive first-round exits on the Pro Tour this year, Pero Ljubic finally ended his drought. The Croatian defeated Callan Rydz 6-2 to record his first win as a tour card holder, before producing a career-best 99.58 average to beat Danny Lauby 6-2. His run ended in the last 32 against eventual champion Ross Smith, but it was a major step forward for Ljubic.
🏆 Perfect Smith wins 6th PDC Title: Ross Smith claimed his sixth PDC title, including five Players Championship wins, with an incredibly dominant performance. He won 24 consecutive legs, recorded three whitewashes, and hit two nine-darters, joining Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor as the only players to achieve two in a single Players Championship event. The win also propelled Smith from 17th to 14th in the PDC Order of Merit, re-establishing his place inside the world’s top 16.
🎙️ Post-Final Interview: Ross Smith’s Reaction:
After the final, Smith spoke to PDC.tv about his victory:
“I don’t actually think I played that well today, but I’m so happy with the win,” he said. “I’ve got the little plaques at home with the scoresheets from my Players Championship wins. They’re my little trophies, and they mean a lot to me.
“I’m going to add another one to the wall today, and it’s another incentive when I’m at home practising, because I want to win all the time; who doesn’t?
“I know I can be one of the best in the world. Consistency is a big thing, but I know I can win tournaments on a regular basis.
“If you’ve won a major title you can win anything. I honestly believe I’m going to win more, but I need to keep working hard.”
📅 What’s Next?
Premier League Night 15
May 15th at P&J Live, Aberdeen (Live on Sky Sports)
Premier League Night 16
May 22nd at Utilita Arena, Sheffield (Live on Sky Sports)
Dutch Darts Championship (ET7)
May 23rd-May 25th at Autotron, Rosmalen (Live on PDC.tv)
Stay tuned to Darts Central for all the latest coverage!
Comentários