James Wade claimed his first World Series of Darts title with an 8-5 victory over qualifier Brody Klinge in the Australian Masters final in Wollongong, New South Wales. The 43-year-old Englishman, a 10-time PDC major winner, had to withstand a thrilling comeback from Klinge in a dramatic best-of-15 showdown at the Entertainment Centre.
Wade, who last won a major title at the 2021 UK Open, raced into a 6-2 lead with four consecutive legs, but Klinge, the Australian Darts Association number one, fought back to 6-5. However, 'The Machine' held his nerve, moving to within one leg of victory at 7-5 before sealing the win with a 60 finish, silencing the boos and pointing to his ears in celebration.
Klinge, 34, had already made history by becoming only the second qualifier ever to reach a World Series final. His run included a stunning 6-5 win over European champion Ross Smith in the opening round, followed by victories over Dutchman Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals and Wales' Jonny Clayton, winner of last week's New Zealand Masters, in the semi-finals.
"Perhaps I thought I would get a nice easy win, but I didn't," said Wade. "I had to graft and I had to work really hard. I will be really, really disappointed if this man doesn't pursue what he is doing." Wade, who finished with an average of 101.62, had earlier beaten Stephen Bunting in a decider and Gerwyn Price en route to the final.
"It's been absolutely amazing - the crowd has been behind me the whole time and I have really enjoyed the whole experience," said Klinge. "I just cannot believe I am up here, honestly." Wade, addressing the crowd in jest, added: "Obviously I had all the crowd support here tonight which made it all the sweeter. Unfortunately my scores were louder than your cheers." The World Series Finals will now take place from 17 to 20 September in Amsterdam, following the sixth and final event of the regular season.