Superb Huybrechts Is Dutch Master!

OUTSTANDING HUYBRECHTS WINS DUTCH DARTS MASTERS TITLE
 

KIM HUYBRECHTS won the biggest title of his career as he claimed the £20,000 first prize in the Dutch Darts Masters with a 6-3 victory over Brendan Dolan in Sunday's final at the NH Hotel Koningshof.

The Belgian star followed up last week's victory in the John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic Players Championship in Killarney by claiming his third ranking title with a brilliant display in Holland.

Huybrechts - who also reached the Championship League Darts Winners Group this week - had won through to Sunday's final stages with wins over Dean Winstanley and Wayne Jones, before defeating Michael Mansell 6-4 in the third round.

He then edged past Peter Wright 6-5 in the quarter-finals and was brilliant in defeating Michael van Gerwen, the number one seed and local favourite, with a 6-3 victory in the semi-finals.

Huybrechts, though, saved his best display for the final as he recorded the same scoreline against Dolan, averaging 105.90 and hitting a series of key 180s as he picked up the win.

Dolan gave as good as he got, sharing the first two four legs of the final before breaking throw in the fifth on double 16 to lead 3-2.

Huybrechts, though, broke back immediately on double 18, after his opponent missed the same double, and he then hit 180s in the next two legs to leave 44 and 47 as he hit a brace of double 16s to lead 5-3.

He then opened the ninth leg with a fourth maximum of the game, and hit double 16 once more as he claimed the victory, dropping to his knees as he celebrated an emotional victory.

"It's been a great couple of weeks for me," said Huybrechts, who averaged 101 across six games in the tournament. "I'm loving it and playing some fantastic darts.

"I've put in a lot of hard work but really enjoyed myself and played really good darts in the Championship League, Killarney and now this.

"Before Killarney I only had one title, and now inside two weeks I've got three, so I'm really happy."

Huybrechts dedicated the title to the memory of his father, who had passed away last December but remained in the 27-year-old's thoughts throughout Sunday's final stages.

"It is very emotional for me," he admitted. "I still have a couple of text messages from my father on my phone, and I looked at them before the final.

"I'll keep doing that for the next five years, ten years or 20 years because he's always going to be an inspiration for me.

"Today I remembered what he said to me about being more confident, and I was reading the text messages and saying that I'd be confident in the final, whatever happened. It worked for me!"

Antwerp-based Huybrechts also had plenty of support in the Veldhoven crowd, and added: "It's only 40 minutes for me so it's like a home event, so to win the tournament is perfect."

Dolan had seen off youngster David Pallett, Finland's Jarkko Komula and reigning champion Simon Whitlock in Sunday's final stages, and admitted: "I'm not too disappointed to lose.

"I probably played my best darts in the final but Kim thoroughly deserved to win.

"I'm happy to get this far and it's a major achievement when you consider the class of players that have been here. Kim and I came though and Kim got the better of me, and I've got no qualms with that because he was the better player.

"I'm chuffed with how I played in the final and it would have won me many other games on the tour. Someday it will be my day - this is my sixth or seventh final but one day I'll win one."

Whitlock had lifted the title 12 months ago in Nuland, but came up short in the semi-finals this time around as he went down 6-3 to Dolan, having won his quarter-final with Jamie Caven by the same scoreline earlier in the evening.

World number two van Gerwen also missed out in the last four as he sought a third European Tour win of the year, being knocked out 6-3 by Huybrechts after he had won a high-quality quarter-final with Newton in the same manner.

Finland's Komula's run to the quarter-finals, which included a memorable win over world number five James Wade in Sunday afternoon's third round, will see him qualify for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship as he picked up £3,000 prize money.

In-form Peter Wright also won through to the last eight, but was denied in a deciding leg by Huybrechts as the Belgian marched into the final.

Runs to the last 16 for Pallett, Mansell, Swindon's Mark Cox and Essex thrower Michael Barnard aided their challenges to qualify for the World Championship through the ProTour Order of Merit, and they were joined in the third round by top 16 stars Mervyn King and Andy Hamilton.

The tournament, which was the last of the PDC's eight £100,000 European Tour events staged in 2013, also saw the PDC break new ground with a successful free live stream worldwide through the OfficialPDC YouTube channel.

Dutch Darts Masters - European Tour Event Eight
October 25-27, NH Hotel Koningshof
Sunday October 27
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Wes Newton
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Peter Wright
Brendan Dolan 6-1 Jarkko Komula
Jamie Caven 3-6 Simon Whitlock

Semi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 3-6 Kim Huybrechts
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Simon Whitlock

Final
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Brendan Dolan

All games Best of 11 legs. Sunday's games in draw bracket order.

Quarter-Final Match Information
Michael van Gerwen raced into the semi-finals, defeating Wes Newton 6-3 with a 101.50 average. The Dutch ace won the opening leg on double five, after Newton missed tops, before the tables were turned as Newton took the second on double eight after a pair of mises from his opponent. Van Gerwen then took out double 16, broke on double seven and hit a 180 and 101 finish to move 4-1 up. Newton finished double ten to reply and took out 170, with his opponent on 32, to pull back to 4-3, only for van Gerwen to break back by taking out 85 for a 5-3 lead. He then hit a fourth 180 of the game and landed double six to seal the win.

Kim Huybrechts edged out Peter Wright in a game of the highest quality as he hit a 12-darter to win the deciding leg of their Dutch Darts Masters quarter-final. Huybrechts opened the game with a 180 and finished 64 in the opening leg, with Wright adding a 180 to set up tops as he levelled. The pair shared the next two before Wright finished 130 on the bull and took out tops, despite a Huybrechts 180, in leg six as he moved 4-2 up. The Belgian replied with a 13-darter and levelled on tops, before punishing three misses from Wright to win a key ninth, as the pair traded 180s before Huybrechts hit double 18 to lead 5-4. Wright hit a 180 and double eight to send the game all the way, but Huybrechts finished 90 for a 12-darter on double 12 to take the win and set up a semi-final with Michael van Gerwen.

Brendan Dolan won through to the semi-finals of the Dutch Darts Masters with a 6-1 defeat of Jarrko Komula, as the Finnish qualifier's fine weekend came to an end. Dolan hit double eight to win the opening leg, and traded 180s with Komula before hitting double 16 to break in the second, and a 67 checkout put him 3-0 up. He then missed three darts to take leg four after landing another 180, with Komula finishing 78 to get off the mark - but the Finn was unable to hit tops to steal the fifth as Dolan scrambled home double one to recover from earlier misses. Komula also missed two darts, at double eight, to win the next leg as a 101 finish put Dolan 5-1 up, and the Northern Irish ace then hit tops to secure his last four place.

Simon Whitlock's dream of retaining the Dutch Darts Masters title continues after he won through to the semi-finals with a 6-3 defeat of Jamie Caven. Whitlock hit a 180 in his opening visit and took the first leg in as darts, before adding another maximum in a 13-darter to break and double his lead. Caven broke back with a 14-darter and hit tops to level, before sharing the next two legs only to see Whitlock hit double eight to lead 4-3, double six to break and move to the brink of victory, which he sealed in edgy fashion after the pair missed a host of doubles in the ninth leg, with Whitlock eventually returning to hit tops.

Quarter-Final Stats

Semi-Final Match Information
Kim Huybrechts produced an outstanding display to romp into the Dutch Darts Masters final with a 6-3 defeat of Michael van Gerwen, averaging 104.90 to the home favourite's 102.57. The Belgian landed a 180 in a 14-darter to open the game, hit a 171 and double 12 as he stepped in to punish his opponent's misses in leg two before hitting another 180 in taking the third leg for a 3-0 lead. Tops saw van Gerwen hit back, before he was punished for more missed doubles in the fifth leg as Huybrechts edged 4-1 up. Van Gerwen's double top to win the sixth leg was followed by a Huybrechts 180 in an 11-darter as he took a 5-2 cushion, and though van Gerwen landed a maximum as he kept the game alive, the Belgian was first to a finish in leg nine before hitting double 18 for the win.

Brendan Dolan won through to the Dutch Darts Masters final, knocking out reigning champion Simon Whitlock 6-3 with a thrilling semi-final display. Dolan took the opening leg with a break of throw on double 16, and though Whitlock levelled by finishing 80 on tops, the Northern Irish ace broke again in leg three and finished double eight for a 3-1 lead. Whitlock took the fifth on double four, but a 121 finish from Dolan, for a 12-darter, put him 4-2 up. Whitlock opened leg seven with a 171 and posted double ten to pull back to 4-3, but missed darts at double top and ten to level as Dolan posted tops with his third dart to lead 5-3, and though the Australian hit back with a 174 in the ninth leg, Dolan took out 101 on double 16 to secure his spot in the final.

Semi-Final Stats

Final - Leg-By-Leg
Kim Huybrechts v Brendan Dolan
0-0 - Kim Huybrechts won the bullseye and will throw first.
1-0 - Dolan misses double 18 for a 144 finish to break throw and Huybrechts returns to land double eight, with this third dart, to take the opening leg.
1-1 - Dolan levels by finishing double 18 to hold throw.
2-1 - Huybrechts posts a 180 and finishes 53 to move back ahead.
2-2 - Huybrechts misses double ten for a 128 finish to break throw, and Dolan finishes 61 on double 18 to level.
2-3 - The Belgian misses a dart at tops to finish 72, and Dolan takes out double 16 to break and move ahead for the first time.
3-3 - Both players miss darts at double 18 for ton-plus checkouts, Huybrechts for 156 and Dolan for 108, before the Belgian returns to break back by hitting the bed at the second time of asking.
4-3 - Huybrechts posts a 180 to leave 44, and when Dolan misses the bull to finish 90 the Belgian hits double 16 to move back in front.
5-3 - The Belgian again hits a 180, this time leaving 44, and when Dolan is unable to take out 161, he hits double 16 to move a leg away from the biggest win of his career.
6-3 - Huybrechts opens the leg with a 180 and takes out double 16 for a 12-darter as he wins the biggest title of his career and a £20,000 first prize.

Match Stats