Michael Smith has claimed victory on the opening day of the PDC Winter Series defeating Jermaine Wattimena in an 8-6 victory to end a drought of 10 straight final defeats and deny the Dutchman once more.
Smith began the final like a train starting with a 170 checkout followed by a 64 checkout to make it 2-0. He hit a 180 though and Wattimena halved the deficit with a 96 checkout from there.
Wattimena missed a 121 for a break but Smith couldn't hit 150 and the Dutchman came back for a break at 2-2.
Smith though came straight back with a 103 checkout. The breaks continued with Wattimena pinning double three.
This was the case once more with Smith taking out 90 on the bullseye for a 4-3 lead. A 72 checkout moved him two clear at 5-3.
Wattimena stopped the rot though with a 106 checkout to make it 5-4. The former bust on double 11 twice in a row and Smith got off the hook to make it 6-4.
ADVERTISEMENT
Smith though went one away at 7-5 up. Wattimena added the pressure with a double 14 to make it 7-6. Smith pinned his trusty double 20 to snap a run of 10 finals lost on the bounce and let out a roar befitting of the win.
Quarter-Finals
Jermaine Wattimena (104.5) 6 | 3 (95.6) Vincent van der Voort
Brendan Dolan (101.3) 6 | 0 (93.4) Damon Heta
Peter Wright (100.8) 3 | 6 (107.6) Jose De Sousa
Michael Smith (90.4) 6 | 2 (79.2) Conan Whitehead
Semi-Finals
Jermaine Wattimena (112.2) 7 | 3 (96.8) Brendan Dolan
Jose de Sousa (96.1) 5 | 7 (98.3) Michael Smith
Final
Jermaine Wattimena (88.5) 6 | 8 (93.0) Michael Smith
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.
𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗟𝗘!🏆
Michael Smith defeats Jermaine Wattimena 8-6 in the final of Winter Series Day One.
Smith's ten-match losing streak in finals is finally brought to an end!