Jermaine Wattimena claimed his third ProTour title at Players Championship 27 on Tuesday, defeating Kevin Doets 8-6 in the final in Minehead. The Dutchman's victory came at the expense of Luke Littler, who saw his run end in the quarter-finals with a 6-5 loss to Wattimena, dashing hopes of an easy week for the teenage sensation.
Littler had earlier impressed, seeing off 16-year-old Archie Self on his ProTour debut 6-2, before wins over Arno Merk, William O'Connor, and Chris Dobey. However, Wattimena proved the stumbling block, and with Luke Woodhouse also eliminated, an all-Dutch final was set. Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen both suffered early exits, with Humphries losing 6-3 to Cam Crabtree, who averaged 98, while Van Gerwen fell to Nick Kenny. Nathan Aspinall, meanwhile, hit a nine-dart finish in his first darts in a month.
Doets had a tough route to the final, defeating Wessel Nijman, Cameron Menzies, Rob Cross, Wesley Plaisier, Chris Landman, and Yorick Hofkens. In the final, Doets broke early to lead 1-0 and then 2-0, but Wattimena fought back to level at 2-2. Wattimena then took control, moving 6-2 ahead with a 94 average, but Doets rallied to close the gap to 7-6. Wattimena, however, pinned 76 to seal the title, his first since signing with Winmau, having won two titles in 2025.
Wattimena's win means Littler, who sits 141st in the Order of Merit after his Minehead gamble, may need to return to ProTour action later in the season to keep his clean sweep alive, even if he wins on Wednesday.
