Jeffrey de Graaf secured his maiden PDC ranking title, defeating Stephen Bunting 8-7 in a thrilling final to claim Players Championship 24 on Monday.
The Dutch-born Swede, who had reached the final of Event Eight in March, produced one level better to become the first Swedish player to win a PDC ranking.
Despite Bunting racing to a 4-1 lead in the final, De Graaf won four consecutive legs to take a 5-4 lead, and clinched a last-leg decider to win Event 24 in Milton Keynes.
“It means a lot, it’s my first title ever in the PDC so it’s a great, it’s fantastic,” said De Graaf.
“In the beginning, I missed a few doubles, but I got it over the line. I'm still shaking!
“I’m happy to be the first [Swedish player to win a Players Championship title], but hopefully not the last.
“For me, this is massive […] it takes the pressure off me too, so it is great.”
De Graaf squeezed through the opening round 6-5 against Adam Paxton, followed by a 6-4 win over Ryan Searle and another last-leg deciding win against Jose de Sousa.
The Swede then defeated former World Champion Michael Smith 6-2 in the last 16, before comfortable 6-1 and 7-2 wins against Alan Soutar and Scott Williams respectively put De Graaf in just his second Players Championship final.
In a high-quality final, De Graaf saved his best performance for last, defying a 106 average from Bunting and producing a 102 average of his own to clinch the title in a last-leg decider.
Bunting produced a string of incredible performances across the day, averaging over 99 in all seven of his matches.
The world number four began the day with a 105 average in his 6-3 win over Adam Hunt, following this with victories over Cam Crabtree and Sebastian Bialecki.
Bunting then defeated Brett Claydon 6-4 with another stellar average of 104 in the last 16, followed by a 6-1 victory over Rob Cross.
The two-time World Masters winner produced an unrelenting 106 average as he swept aside Ross Smith 7-2 in the semi-final, to set up his third Players Championship final in his last five appearances.
Despite his 106 average in the final, Bunting fell short to De Graaf, marking his seventh loss in eight Players Championship finals since 2024.
Luke Littler’s return to the ProTour after a five month absence included a thrilling 6-5 victory over fellow young star Beau Greaves in the third round, but the World Champion lost 6-4 to Rob Cross in the last 16.
Michael van Gerwen was also eliminated in the last 16 at the hands of Scott Williams, despite recording an average of 107.97 in his 6-3 defeat.
Williams struck a nine-darter in his 6-0 thrashing of James Hurrell in the third round, and followed this with a 6-4 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode, but he was eliminated in the semi-finals by De Graaf.
Greaves averaged over 107 in her opening round 6-0 demolition of Dennie Olde Kalter, and after defeated Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld 6-4, before falling short to Littler.
World Grand Prix Champion Mike De Decker produced the best performance of the day, as the Belgian averaged 108 in his 6-2 opening-round victory over Wesley Plaisier.
There were six whitewash wins in the opening round, including Martin Schindler’s triumph against Mario Vandenbogaerde, with the German averaging just shy of 105.
Cam Crabtree also produced an excellent first round performance, averaging over 106 in his 6-0 rout of Kim Huybrechts.
This week’s PDC ProTour double-header will conclude with Players Championship 25 on Tuesday, with coverage from four streaming boards set to be broadcast live on PDCTV.
The event draw and results are listed in the Match Centre.
Click here for match stats through DartConnect.
2025 Players Championship 24
Monday August 25
Arena MK, Milton Keynes
Last 16
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 Martin Lukeman
Scott Williams 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Alan Soutar 6-4 Nick Kenny
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-2 Michael Smith
Stephen Bunting 6-5 Brett Claydon
Rob Cross 6-4 Luke Littler
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Steve Lennon
Ross Smith 6-4 Jamai van den Herik
Quarter-Finals
Scott Williams 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-2 Alan Soutar
Stephen Bunting 6-1 Rob Cross
Ross Smith 6-1 Karel Sedlacek
Semi-Finals
Jeffrey De Graaf 7-1 Scott Williams
Stephen Bunting 7-2 Ross Smith
Final
Jeffrey De Graaf 8-7 Stephen Bunting