Clayton Dumps MVG on Way to the Final

Jeffrey de Zwaan won his first senior PDC title but it was another impressive run for Jonny Clayton in the Players Championship 10. The young Dutchman grabbed a deciding leg 6-5 win over the Welshman at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Sunday. Clayton, who reached the final of the Players Championship Finals in Minehead last November, claimed the scalp of Michael van Gerwen on his way to reaching a first ProTour final this year. The Welshman kicked off the day in Wigan with two 6-4 wins over Ron Meulenkamp and Kevin Burness. A comfortable 6-1 victory over Paul Rowley followed, before a 6-0 thrashing of Robert Owen in the last 16. The Pontyberem ace produced a sensational display to defeat Players Championship Nine winner Van Gerwen 6-4 in the quarter-finals before overcoming Stephen Bunting 6-3 to reach the final. De Zwaan recorded wins over Zoran Lerchbacher, Michael Smith, Justin Pipe, Steve Beaton, James Wilson and Gabriel Clemens en route to clinching the £10,000 top prize. He admitted: “I feel wonderful, it means so much to me. I’ve lost two finals so far this year so I was going into this game thinking ‘I don’t want to lose in the final again’. “It’s an amazing feeling to win my first ever PDC title, I can’t put my feelings into words.” Clayton broke the De Zwaan throw in the opening leg of the final with an impressive 13-darter before the Dutchman broke straight back and then held throw to go 2-1 ahead. The Welshman pinned double 12 to hold throw before De Zwaan hit back, taking out 80 in two darts to go back in front at 3-2. Clayton continued the impressive form that saw him win his first ever European Tour event in Austria by firing in another 13-dart leg to level the match once again at 3-3. The pair exchanged holds of throw once more to make it 4-4 before Clayton moved within one leg of the title with a crucial break of throw, pinning double 16 with one dart. De Zwaan hit a vital double one with his last dart to break straight back and set up a tense deciding leg. With Clayton ready to pounce sat on 64, De Zwaan hit double nine with his last dart to take out 36 to claim his first ProTour victory. By Phil Lanning (@lannomedia) Photography courtesy of Lawrence Lustig / PDC