"I’m back in the top 16 where I belong" - Satisfaction prevails for Nathan Aspinall after defeat to Luke Littler

Nathan Aspinall had a brilliant tournament at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead. Although the 34-year-old Englishman fell just short of his third major title, his performance did earn him an important milestone: a return to the top sixteen of the world rankings, just in time for the upcoming World Darts Championship in Alexandra Palace.

Aspinall began the weekend with a clear goal in mind: to regain his position among the elite of the darts world. He succeeded with verve. The former UK Open and World Matchplay champion showed from his first match that he was in excellent form.

In the first rounds he convincingly dealt with Karel Sedlacek and the Dutchman Richard Veenstra, two tough opponents who, however, did not see the Englishman falter for a moment. With solid finishes and constant scoring, he qualified for the third round without too many problems.

From then on, Aspinall began a series of blistering matches. First followed a hard-fought 10-8 victory over Danny Noppert, the former UK Open winner known for his coolness on the doubles. Aspinall had to go deep, but his mental toughness - one of his most characteristic weapons - pulled him over the line. In the quarterfinals, he repeated that trick against Northern Irishman Josh Rock, one of the most promising talents of the new darts generation. Again the match ended in 10-8, again Aspinall was the man who made the difference at the crucial moments.

Once in the semifinals, the pressure seemed to fall off him. Where many players take a step back after two grueling matches, Aspinall just turned up full steam. The Englishman outclassed Jermaine Wattimena with an impressive 11-2 victory - a score rarely seen at this stage of the tournament. With his dominant performance, he also secured his participation in next year's Grand Slam of Darts, a tournament where he is always eager to compete.

Afterwards, Aspinall expressed pride in his performance as well as realism about his development. “This has been a fantastic tournament for myself,” reflected Aspinall, who climbs six places up to world number 15.

“I’m back in the top 16 where I belong, and that was a big target coming into the weekend.

Aspinall also spoke with great respect about his opponent in the final, Luke Littler, with whom he has now developed a friendship.

“I always get amazing support here in Minehead, but I’ve got to congratulate Luke. The guy is incredible.

“He’s a good mate of mine as everyone knows. What he’s done for this game is incredible, and I was happy to share the stage with him tonight.”

With his return to the top sixteen and his renewed self-confidence, Nathan Aspinall seems to be coming into form at just the right time. Aspinall has already won three Euro Tours this year, but he hasn't had much success at the majors.

With the PDC World Darts Championship just around the corner, 'The Asp' has shown with his performance that he is once again ready to compete for the biggest prizes at the very highest level.