Ranking title ticked off for Kevin Doets - next stop top 16 and a major: "I have the game for it, I’ve shown everyone that I have the game to do it"

Kevin Doets finally got his hands on a maiden PDC title after producing a superb run to win Players Championship 13, defeating Luke Woodhouse 8–5 in the final and ending a run of near-misses in emphatic fashion.

The Dutchman, who posted a superb 99.65 tournament average across the day, had been knocking on the door in recent events, reaching multiple semi-finals, and admitted the relief was overwhelming once the title was secured at Players Championship 13. “I don’t even know what to say, man… oh my God, finally,” Doets said. “That’s what it feels like. The last tournaments, I was close… what a relief.”

Doets’ path to the title was far from straightforward. He opened his campaign with victories over Mervyn King, Darryl Pilgrim and Kim Huybrechts, before overcoming Jermaine Wattimena, Rob Owen and Maik Kuivenhoven to book his place in the final.

Confidence had clearly been building in recent weeks, and Doets felt that was the key difference on the day. “It’s the growing confidence. I’ve been playing pretty well lately, in my opinion, and I showed it again today,” he explained. “The struggle recently has been the semi-finals, but today the semi-final was great. I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the final, but as soon as I got into it, I played great.”

The final itself saw Doets fall 4–2 behind before producing a decisive burst of five consecutive legs. An 11-darter sparked the turnaround, followed by a clinical 105 checkout to take a 6–4 lead and a brilliant 128 finish to extend his advantage to 7–4, ultimately proving the decisive spell. “Yeah, they were huge,” Doets said. “They gave me a bit of breathing space for the match darts because, man, those are the hardest things, especially to win your first title ever.

“It was nice to be 7–4 up and have that breathing space, so I could hit it, I think it was like the sixth or seventh dart. I’m just very happy right now, and relieved.”

Despite the comfortable cushion, the closing stages were far from straightforward, as missed match darts allowed tension to creep in. “I wasn’t just nervous, I started thinking about everything, like how to celebrate… just everything,” he admitted.

The victory carries significant ranking benefits, strengthening his position around the world’s top 32 and effectively securing qualification for major televised events. “I’ve been very close to the top 32, and winning tournaments like this helps a lot,” Doets said. “The Matchplay is secure, the Grand Prix is secure, all of those are secure. At the beginning of the year I said I wanted to win a title, otherwise I wouldn’t be satisfied. Now I have one, but I’m aiming for more.”

A key factor throughout the day was Doets’ heavy scoring, something he believes makes him a serious threat when combined with improved finishing. “I outscore basically everyone I meet lately, and when I lose, it’s usually on doubles,” he said. “Today I was able to hit the doubles, and if I keep doing that, then I’m going to be a danger in all the tournaments.”

With his breakthrough title secured, Doets is already targeting further progress, setting his sights on breaking into the elite tier of the sport and adding major silverware to his growing résumé. “The next goal is getting into the top 16 in the world and winning a major,” he said. “I have the game for it, I’ve shown everyone that I have the game to do it. I just need to be a winner. Today I was, and I’m going to try to continue that.”