"Before this tournament, I was in my room and Facebook showed me my memories": Spooky coincidence as Sebastian Bialecki wins Players Championship a year after first
PDC
Sebastian Białecki has won again on the PDC ProTour. Exactly one year after his first Players Championship title, the Polish player was once again crowned tournament winner. The 22-year-old darts player defeated Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde in the final of Players Championship 26, marking yet another historic day for him. After the match, the Polish player could barely put his emotions into words.
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According to Białecki, this tournament victory bore striking similarities to his first ProTour win. Back then, too, he had to fight his way back from behind in his opening match.
"I don't know what I can say. It's an unbelievable feeling," said Bialecki post final. Before this tournament, I was in my room and Facebook showed me my memories. I saw that it was exactly one year ago that I won my first title.
"Now it's unbelievable again, just like the first one. Maybe this tournament was a little bit similar to the first one because, a year ago, I also came back from 5-3 down to win my opening match 6-5. I did the same today, so I'm over the moon."
Asked if his confidence grew as the match went on, Bialecki admitted it did and that perhaps given he'd been in a final before he perhaps had the ace up his sleeve that he knew what to do. "The first few legs were a little bit random. Sometimes Mario won a couple of legs, but I always came back to level the match.
"After the break, when I went 6-5 up, I knew it was time to push on and win it because I'd been really confident throughout this tournament. It wasn't my first final, so I felt more relaxed in this match. Maybe that experience helped me."
🗣️ "I'm over the moon with this victory!"
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 29, 2026
Sebastian Bialecki reflects on his victory in Hildesheim, as the Pole picked up his first title a year on from his maiden PDC ranking title in Germany. pic.twitter.com/tMHGnP1XhV
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Beating such players as Karel Sedlacek with a brilliant 170 checkout, he came through a lot of close shaves but the Pole admitted how important they were. "Of course they were very important. Those first two matches were really tough. Both went to deciding legs. In the first match I came back, and in the second one I also had to win the deciding leg. Winning those deciders definitely gave me more confidence for the rest of the tournament."
Opportunity when top names skip it and pushing for further majors
But while many of the top names perhaps aside from MVG on the Tuesday and also Gian van Veen decided to skip it, Bialecki sensed an opportunity. "Yes. When I saw that a lot of the best players in the world weren't playing here, I hoped I could have a good tournament. That was the plan to have at least one good result. But I probably didn't expect to win the tournament before it started."
Sebastian Bialecki will now push to play in further major tournaments.
Bialecki has had a wonderful year, he has dominated the Development Tour and is now pushing for major spots in the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals. "At the start of the year my goal was simply to secure my Tour Card for next year. I didn't expect things to go like this.
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"I've had a lot of good results and qualified for a lot of Euro Tours and the UK Open, and now my position for the big tournaments is really good.
"I don't know exactly what I'll be playing over the next few months, but if I get those opportunities, I hope I can produce good results on the big stage."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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