Danny Noppert beat Luke Humphries 8-6 to win his first title of 2024 at the Players Championship 8 in Leicester on Tuesday.
The Dutchman becomes the eighth different man to win a Players Championship event this year, after Luke Littler, Gary Anderson, Ryan Searle, Damon Heta, Raymond van Barneveld, Dave Chisnall and Chris Dobey.
Noppert, who won the 2022 UK Open, has now been victorious in five Players Championships from final finals since joining the PDC in 2018.
As for Humphries, he will now turn his attention to the Premier League on Thursday in Birmingham, live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm.
Humphries was on the verge of being beaten several times throughout the day in Leicester but produced when it mattered most.
He brilliantly made a 167 checkout in the last 32 to defeat Brendan Dolan 6-5 in his first deciding leg of the day, then punished Chris Dobey’s miss at tops in their final leg to reach the quarter-finals with another 6-5 win.
The world No 1 saw off Gary Anderson 6-4 in the last eight and won a thrilling semi-final 7-6 against Gian van Veen.
Meanwhile, Noppert enjoyed an easier run to the final with just one deciding leg win over Stephen Burton in the last 32.
He followed that up by defeating Gerwyn Price 6-3, before another 6-3 win against compatriot Kevin Doets and a relatively comfortable victory in the semi-finals to beat Radek Szaganski 7-2.
Humphries took an early lead in the final by breaking Noppert straight away, but the Dutchman came back to win 8-6.
Littler and Van Gerwen exit in last 32
Littler, who is top of the Premier League after winning the last two nights, lost in the third round to the Netherlands’ Kevin Doets 6-5.
The 17-year-old had beat Christian Perez and Nathan Rafferty in the opening two matches but Doets came from 5-4 down and took out 106 after Littler missed match dart at D13.
Van Gerwen was dumped out in the same round by world No 26 Andrew Gilding as his disappointing form continues ahead of the Premier League, where the three-time world champion is fighting for a play-off place.
Van Gerwen, Littler, Humphries, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith head to Birmingham for Night 11 of the Premier League, live on Sky Sports from 7pm from Thursday.
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Gerwyn Price struck a nine-darter during his semi-final against Michael Smith on Night 10 of Premier League Darts in Manchester
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