"This means so much to me" - Emotional Jermaine Wattimena has tears in his eyes after first PDC title

Jermaine Wattimena is no longer on the list of the best players never to win a PDC title. After years of near-misses and heartbreak, the Dutchman finally got over the line in Hildesheim on Wednesday afternoon, defeating Germany’s Lukas Wenig 8–5 in the final of Players Championship 23 to claim his long-awaited first PDC title.

Wattimena — a five-time ProTour runner-up and former major finalist — had tears in his eyes after the win. “I have finally won a title. This means so much to me,” he told the PDC afterwards. “After losing in five finals and a major final, now I have a title. I’m so, so happy!”

The 37-year-old had shown promising signs of form at the recent World Matchplay, where he pushed eventual champion Luke Littler at the Winter Gardens. And in Hildesheim, he built on that momentum with a string of strong displays, seeing off Jose de Sousa, Rob Owen, Gabriel Clemens, Danny Noppert, Ryan Joyce and Bradley Brooks to book his place in the final.

The final itself was a nervy, drama-filled affair, with both players struggling to find fluency on the doubles — but it was Wattimena who held firm in the crucial moments. Despite missing 26 darts at a double, he landed finishes of 89, 106 and, finally, a match-winning 107 to seal an emotional victory.

“Lukas is a really good player. He’s one of the best in Germany,” Wattimena said of the final. “We both missed a lot of doubles, but thankfully it went my way.”

Early on, Wenig threatened to take control with near-misses on big checkouts — including a 170 attempt and a 144 — but couldn’t land the killer blow. Wattimena punished him with steady scoring and sharp finishing where it counted, especially in the latter stages. At 5–4 up, Wattimena landed a composed 106 checkout to move within two legs of the title, before sealing it with that superb 107 finish, roaring in delight as the long wait finally ended.

“I have no words for this,” he added in conclusion. “I know I’m in good form. I wasn’t at my best in a couple of the games, but the only thing that counts is that I won the tournament!”

It may have been a long time coming for him, but after years of waiting, it was Wattimena’s day at last — and few would begrudge him the moment.