Gabriel Clemens produced a strong result at Players Championship 22 in Wigan, reaching the quarterfinals and collecting valuable prize money in the race to qualify for the PDC World Darts Championship. However, the “German Giant” was not entirely satisfied afterwards, lamenting a costly bounce-out that he says cost him the leg and ultimately the match.
Speaking on the podcast “Darts auf die 1” with Robert Marijanovic and Marcel Althaus, Clemens admitted: “Yeah, it was okay, but I definitely should have won that quarter-final.” The defeat to Tom Bissell stung particularly because Clemens led 4-1 at one stage and had the encounter largely under control. But the game swung the other way after a decisive moment: “Then I had a bounce-out that you really don't need,” Clemens recalled. Instead of a possible 140 visit, he lost his rhythm. “I got so annoyed about it that I lost the leg because of it as well,” the German admitted self-critically.
Despite the disappointment, Clemens praised Bissell: “He hit his doubles really well.” The Englishman checked multiple times with the last dart in hand and stayed calm, having already knocked out Jonny Clayton earlier in the tournament. “He can definitely play,” Clemens added with a grin. The podcast hosts noted that Bissell has made several deep runs this season and sits high in the Pro Tour Order of Merit.
Clemens’ overall verdict was mixed. “The tournament was really good. Especially the match against Micky Mansell was a very good performance from me,” he explained, referencing his 6-1 win over the Irishman in which he averaged over 102. “A semi-final was definitely there for the taking, maybe even a final,” said Clemens. He also discussed the current PDC boards, reporting that before the event he played cricket with Martin Schindler, Marvin Kraft, and Lukas Wenig, and an unusually high number of darts fell out of the board. “Out of ten darts thrown at the bullseye, about eight ended up on the floor,” said Clemens, underscoring the debate about board quality.
Beyond the result, Clemens’ World Championship qualification looks secure. After two-thirds of the Pro Tour season, he has earned £30,000 via the Pro Tour, with the current cut-off at £20,000. Robert Marijanovic, a three-time World Championship participant, estimated that around £30,000 to £32,000 will likely be needed this year to qualify via the Pro Tour. Clemens himself did not want to rest on that, believing he is capable of delivering significantly bigger results. His performance at Players Championship 22 showed that the “German Giant” still has the level to regularly contend for the late stages on the Pro Tour.
