Ian White defends title at hotly-contested Zwaantje Masters in Eindhoven

Ian White took the title once again Saturday night at the Zwaantje Masters in Eindhoven. Under the watchful eye of many spectators, 'The Diamond' managed to defend his title in the final against Ricky Evans.

The event kicked off as early as Friday night with a sponsor's evening. Here, invited guests could have a drink and a chat with top darters White, Evans, Mervyn King, Wayne Mardle, Colin Lloyd and Steve Beaton.

The serious stuff was scheduled for Saturday. The Zwaantje Masters got underway with 42 players divided into seven pools of six players each.

Sixteen players advanced to the knockout stage. White was able to deal with Ryan de Vreede (5-2), Jeffrey Sparidaans (6-1) and Kim Huybrechts (2-0) in the elimination stage.

Evans made it to the final match at the other end of the schedule with wins over Rob Bemelmans (5-2), Jimmy van Schie (6-4) and Alexander Merkx (2-1). The final went over the full five sets, but it was White who prevailed 3-2.

Results Zwaantje Masters 2023

Last 16

Ricky Evans 5-2 Rob Bemelmans

Jimmy van Schie 5-1 Jerry Hendriks

Mervyn King 5-3 Wayne Mardle

Alexander Merkx 5-2 Niels Zonneveld

Steve Beaton 5-0 Colin Lloyd

Kim Huybrechts 5-3 Luc Peters

Jeffrey Sparidaans 5-2 Danny van Trijp

Ian White 5-2 Ryan de Vreede

Quarterfinals

Ricky Evans 6-4 Jimmy van Schie

Alexander Merkx 6-3 Mervyn King

Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Steve Beaton

Ian White 6-1 Jeffrey Sparidaans

Semi-final

Ricky Evans (77.84) 2-1 (80.21) Alexander Merkx (3-2, 2-3, 3-2)

Ian White (91.28) 2-0 (85.73) Kim Huybrechts (3-1, 3-1)

Final

Ian White (94.58) 3-2 (84.04) Ricky Evans (3-1, 1-3, 0-3, 3-1, 0-3)