The St Helens ace was one of the top players over the course of the day and a pivotal break towards the latter half of the tie proved vital as he returned to the winners' circle to join Jose de Sousa this weekend.
'Bully Boy' took the opening leg on double 15 to hold throw. He started 'Smudger's throw with a 180 but missed two darts to break off a 65 shot.
Ross Smith as a result levelled the tie up in the early going and the holds continued from there. This included a 104 from the former to make it 2-2 with Michael Smith locked on the same target.
A 58 checkout saw Michael Smith edge ahead once more at 3-2 with a 99 average. The holds continued until 6-5 with Michael Smith striking with a 90 checkout to break and head one away. This proved pivotal as he hit a 180 and double 10 with a hold to claim the win.
Quarter-Finals
Ross Smith (98.0) 6 | 3 (95.8) José de Sousa
Berry van Peer (93.8) 6 | 3 (95.5) Steve Lennon
Aaron Beeney (86.5) 6 | 2 (84.5) Raymond van Barneveld
Michael Smith (105.1) 6 | 3 (91.2) Martin Schindler
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🏴 𝗕𝗨𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗬 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗟𝗘! 🏆
Michael Smith reigns supreme at Players Championship 10 after sealing his 13th PDC title with an 8-5 victory over Ross Smith in the final!
Congratulations Michael! 👏