Wattimena emotional after landing first PDC title
Jermaine Wattimena was reduced to tears after defeating Lukas Wenig in the Players Championship 23 final to secure his first ever PDC title on Wednesday.
Dutch ace Wattimena, 37, has been a Tour Card holder for 11 years and finally broke his winning duck in Hildesheim when beating German Lukas Wenig 8-5 in a tense final.
The triumph tops off a fantastic 12 months or so for the Machine Gun, who has showed significant improvement since switching to new equipment – even making the European Championship final last October.
And having lost his previous five senior finals, Wattimena was understandably emotional after finally securing a trophy.
"I've finally won a title," he muttered tearfully. "It means so much to me.
"After losing five finals, I've finally got a title. I'm so, so happy!
"I have no words for this. I know I've been in good form. I wasn't at my best today in a couple of games but the only thing that counts is that I won the tournament."
Wattimena became the third straight first-time title winner on the Pro Tour, following recent wins for youngsters Bradley Brooks and Sebastien Bialecki on the floor.
The double-header of events in Germany certainly presented an opportunity to some of the PDC's mid-ranked stars, with a string of household names opting to give them a miss.
However, Wattimena still had to overcome several world-class operators en route to glory, including Jose De Sousa, Gabriel Clemens, Danny Noppert and Ryan Joyce.
Runner-up Wenig boosted his 2026 World Championship qualification prospects with his own fairytale run, having started the day a 500/1 outsider.
The German accounted for the likes of Daryl Gurney and Wessel Nijman en route to the final, in a run that should inject confidence into him for the remainder of the campaign.
World Youth Champion Gian van Veen was one of the bigger names taking part this week and although he didn't get his hands on a title, did produce a perfect leg against Ryan Meikle in the last 32.
Van Veen is being tipped by many as potential PDC World Championship winner after a sublime week at the World Matchplay, where he spectacularly dumped out Luke Humphries and Danny Noppert before narrowly exiting to eventual runner-up James Wade.
The PDC returns to action next weekend with the first of a World Series double-header in Australia.
Matt Hill is the Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including for the likes of Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years to some acclaim, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC and chucking a few arrows.
Matt Hill is the Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including for the likes of Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years to some acclaim, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC and chucking a few arrows.
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