ADRIAN LEWIS claimed his first tournament victory in almost three years and also hit a nine-darter in winning Saturday's Austrian Open Players Championship.
Lewis has not taken home the first prize in a tournament since a Players Championship in Scotland in November 2006, but brilliantly claimed the £6,000 title in Salzburg.
He defeated Spain's Carlos Rodriguez 6-4 in the final, hitting a sensational nine-darter in the eighth leg by following up two 180s with a 141 checkout on double 12.
The nine-darter, which earns Lewis a £1,600 bonus, was his second in competition, after previously hitting a perfect leg during the Championship League Darts event last year.
"As soon as I hit the two 180s I felt comfortable about hitting the nine-darter," said Lewis. "The 141 was lovely and the darts just flowed, and it's a great feeling.
"Carlos needs to take some of the credit for that because he really pushed me. He dug in and kept matching my 180s, and he's a really high quality player who I think will be in the top 32 really soon."
Lewis dedicated the victory to his first daughter Myla Niamh, who was born last month.
"I've got a family to care for now and it's changed my life," added Lewis. "I've grown up a lot in the last few weeks and was really determined to do well today.
"Hopefully this is the start of a new Adrian Lewis, who can be a big threat to Phil Taylor now. It's been three years since I last won a tournament but I don't think it will be that long again."
Lewis marked his return to action with a whitewash win over Adrian Gray, and also swept aside Wayne Atwood, world soft-tip darts champion Boris Krcmar and Co Stompe to reach the last eight.
There, he narrowly overcame Germany's Michael Rosenauer in a deciding leg, before overcoming Colin Osborne 6-4 in a high-quality semi-final.
Rodriguez edged out Alan Tabern 6-5 in the semi-finals to reach his second PDC Pro Tour final, after a previous success in a Players Championship in Germany last year.
His £3,000 runner-up prize will secure him a spot in both the PartyPoker.net European Championship and Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship later this year.
The Spaniard also overcame Wayne Jones, Peter Manley, Gary Welding and Steve Beaton on the day, after scraping past Steve Grubb 6-5 in the first round.
A run to the quarter-finals for Rosenauer puts him back into the running for a European Championship qualifying place later this year via the Continental Europe Order of Merit.
Kevin Painter and Mark Walsh joined Rosenauer and Jones in the last eight, while Chris Thompson, Steve Brown, Justin Pipe and Holland's Toon Greebe reached the last 16.
Austrian Open Players Championship
Preliminary Round
Bernd Roith 6-4 Arron Monk
Mario Masurka 6-0 Wolfgang Mayrhofer
Ken Dobson 6-0 Christoph Stadler
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Pero Ljubic
Matt Clark 6-1 Par Riihonen
Jyhan Artut 6-2 Sebastian Pecjak
Tony Blundell 6-0 Sander Sonneveld
Braulio Roncero 6-2 Christian Kallinger
Josef Untermarzoner 6-3 Lukas Schneider
Dyson Parody 6-1 Dave Ladley
Maik Langendorf 6-1 Gerhard Sorger
Gary Welding 6-3 Tomas Seyler
Carlos Rodriguez 6-1 Waleri Iliev
Steve Grubb 6-5 Steve Hine
Aaron Hardy 6-4 Mario Hermann
Jarkko Komula 6-5 Marek Polach
Harald Hoffmann 6-2 Rudiger Lohse
Markus Katt 6-0 Florian Rauch
Nick Fullwell 6-3 Josef Reiter
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Mark Frost
Oto Zmelik 6-0 Reinhard Holzer
Simon Craven 6-2 Steve Perkins
Christoph Stehmann 6-4 Frank Grauel
Andree Welge 6-1 Martin Kapucian
Pavel Dirtl 6-0 Carsten Arlt
Toon Greebe 6-1 Franz Wuehrer
Christian Pankl 6-4 Andreas Riegler
Mensur Suljovic 6-5 Roland Freistatter
Ray Farrell 6-0 Alfred Schaf
Chris Thompson 6-0 Patrick Bulen
Gunther Hofer 6-2 Marco Kriegner
Joe Cullen 6-1 Chris Loudon
Dietmar Burger 6-0 Ruth Haas
Michael Rosenauer 6-2 John Quantock
David Ansell 6-0 Davor Bradara
Dylan Duo 6-0 Romano Ruggeri
John Part 6-2 Johnny Okken
Roland Scholten 6-4 Darren Johnson
Wayne Atwood 6-0 Alexander Berger
First Round
Mark Walsh (1) 6-1 Pierre Finck
Bernd Roith 6-0 Matthias Limdinger
Pivarc Lubos 6-2 Wayne Mardle (32)
Mario Masurka 6-1 Hannes Schnier
Michael van Gerwen (16) 6-0 Mick McGowan
Ken Dobson 6-0 Eusebius Irrasch
Jamie Caven (17) 6-3 Kevin McDine
Brendan Dolan 6-0 Matt Clark
Terry Jenkins (8) 6-4 Alex Kohler
Justin Pipe 6-5 Jyhan Artut
Alex Roy (25) 6-0 Michael Fuxreiter
Jan van der Rassel 6-0 Tony Blundell
Alan Tabern (9) 6-0 Andy Heller
Braulio Roncero 6-0 Jon Archer
Wes Newton (24) 6-1 Louis Blundell
Josef Untermarzoner 6-3 Peter Seidl
Ronnie Baxter (5) 6-1 Peter Wright
Dyson Parody 6-5 Michael de Cuijper
Peter Manley (28) 6-0 Robert Marijamovic
Andy Fordham 6-5 Maik Langendorf
Denis Ovens (12) 6-3 Erwin Renkema
Gary Welding 6-1 Felix Losan
Steve Beaton (21) 6-0 Manfred Hausler
Carlos Rodriguez 6-5 Steve Grubb
James Wade (4) 6-0 Stefan Lemberger
Colin Monk 6-4 Aaron Hardy
Tony Eccles (29) 6-4 Remco van Eijden
Jarkko Komula 6-1 Alex Niedermaier
Andy Hamilton (13) 6-0 Peter van der Broek
Marko Kantele 6-2 Harald Hoffman
Wayne Jones (20) 6-1 Gregor Gorjup
Nick Fullwell 6-1 Markus Katt
Colin Osborne (2) 6-0 Karl Binder
Kirk Shepherd 6-3 Kevin Hill
Jacko Barry 6-0 Steve Maish (31)
Oto Zmelik 6-0 Steve Randall
Steve Brown 6-3 Mark Dudbridge (15)
Simon Craven 6-0 Herbert Aringer
Vincent van der Voort (18) 6-0 Jacques Nieuwlaat
Andree Welge 6-1 Christoph Stehmann
Dennis Priestley (7) 6-4 Martyn Turner
Pavel Dirtl 6-0 Harold Wieleman
Mark Webster 6-4 Paul Nicholson (26)
Toon Greebe 6-2 Gary Mawson
Mervyn King (10) 6-3 Bryan de Hoog
David Ahmet 6-2 Christian Pankl
Kevin Painter 6-5 Michael Barnard
Ray Farrell 6-1 Mensur Suljovic
Robert Thornton (6) 6-5 Thorsten Warter
Chris Thompson 6-4 Nandor Bezzeg
Jelle Klaasen (27) 6-3 James Barton
Volker Burkhardt 6-4 Gunther Hofer
Gary Anderson (11) 6-3 Marko Puls
Tony Ayres 6-1 Joe Cullen
Andy Jenkins (22) 6-4 Keith Rooney
Michael Rosenauer 6-3 Dietmar Burger
Colin Lloyd (3) 6-2 Andy Relf
Gary Blades 6-3 David Ansell
Co Stompe (30) 6-0 Alexander Krch
Dylan Duo 6-0 Erich Mosinger
Boris Krcmar 6-5 Andy Smith (14)
Barrie Bates 6-2 John Part
Adrian Lewis (19) 6-0 Adrian Gray
Wayne Atwood 6-4 Roland Scholten
Second Round
Mark Walsh 6-3 Bernd Roith
Mario Masurka 6-5 Pivarc Lubos
Michael van Gerwen 6-0 Ken Dobson
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Jamie Caven
Justin Pipe 6-3 Terry Jenkins
Jan van der Rassel 6-1 Alex Roy
Alan Tabern 6-5 Braulio Roncero
Wes Newton 6-1 Josef Untermarzoner
Ronnie Baxter 6-0 Dyson Parody
Peter Manley 6-0 Andy Fordham
Gary Welding 6-2 Denis Ovens
Carlos Rodriguez 6-4 Steve Beaton
James Wade 6-1 Colin Monk
Tony Eccles 6-1 Jarkko Komula
Andy Hamilton 6-2 Marko Kantele
Wayne Jones 6-4 Nick Fullwell
Colin Osborne 6-5 Kirk Shepherd
Jacko Barry 6-4 Oto Zmelik
Steve Brown 6-2 Simon Craven
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Andree Welge
Dennis Priestley 6-2 Pavel Dirtl
Toon Greebe 6-1 Mark Webster
Mervyn King 6-1 Dave Ahmet
Kevin Painter 6-2 Ray Farrell
Chris Thompson 6-0 Robert Thornton
Jelle Klaasen 6-0 Volker Burkhardt
Tony Ayres 6-3 Gary Anderson
Michael Rosenauer 6-3 Andy Jenkins
Colin Lloyd 6-1 Gary Blades
Co Stompe 6-5 Dylan Duo
Boris Krcmar 6-5 Barrie Bates
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Wayne Atwood
Losers £200
Third Round
Mark Walsh 6-3 Mario Masurka
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Brendan Dolan
Justin Pipe 6-3 Jan van der Rassel
Alan Tabern 6-4 Wes Newton
Peter Manley 6-5 Ronnie Baxter
Carlos Rodriguez 6-4 Gary Welding
James Wade 6-4 Tony Eccles
Wayne Jones 6-2 Andy Hamilton
Colin Osborne 6-0 Jacko Barry
Steve Brown 6-4 Vincent van der Voort
Toon Greebe 6-3 Dennis Priestley
Kevin Painter 6-3 Mervyn King
Chris Thompson 6-3 Jelle Klaasen
Michael Rosenauer 6-3 Tony Ayres
Co Stompe 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Adrian Lewis 6-0 Boris Krcmar
Losers £300
Fourth Round
Mark Walsh 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Alan Tabern 6-5 Justin Pipe
Carlos Rodriguez 6-3 Peter Manley
Wayne Jones 6-2 James Wade
Colin Osborne 6-1 Steve Brown
Kevin Painter 6-2 Toon Greebe
Michael Rosenauer 6-1 Chris Thompson
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Co Stompe
Losers £400
Quarter-Finals
Alan Tabern 6-3 Mark Walsh
Carlos Rodriguez 6-3 Wayne Jones
Colin Osborne 6-1 Kevin Painter
Adrian Lewis 6-5 Michael Rosenauer
Losers £800
Semi-Finals
Carlos Rodriguez 6-5 Alan Tabern
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Colin Osborne
Losers £1,500
Final
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Carlos Rodriguez - including nine dart finish from Adrian Lewis
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
Semi-Final Match Reports
First Semi-Final
Adrian Lewis sealed his place in the final with a high-quality 6-4 win over Colin Osborne in a see-saw game.
Osborne came from a leg down to win three in a row, including a break in the game's third leg following five missed doubles from Lewis and six perfect darts in the fourth, to lead 3-1.
Lewis took out 97 for the fifth leg, and both players traded 180s in the next before Osborne finished 103 for a 4-2 cushion.
Lewis hit two 180s of his own in the next, and a brilliant ten-darter broke throw as he levelled.
Osborne missed one dart for a 152 finish to break back, with Lewis taking the leg and then a 117 checkout for victory in the next, putting him on course for a first tournament win since November 2006.
Second Semi-Final
Carlos Rodriguez reached his second PDC Pro Tour final with a thrilling 6-5 defeat of Alan Tabern.
Rodriguez led 4-1 before Tabern took four successive legs, but the Spaniard levelled and then sneaked the decider after the world number 11 missed one dart for the win.
Tabern opened the semi with a maximum and took the opening leg in 12 darts, but missed doubles to extend his lead as Rodriguez got off the mark.
Legs of 13, 14 and 15 darts from Spaniard saw him move 4-1 ahead, but Tabern took out 82 to halt the charge and then two double ten finishes saw him level.
Double 12 put Tabern in front at 5-4 before Rodriguez took out 61 in two darts on double 18 to send the game into a decider.
Tabern kicked off with a maximum, but Rodriguez stayed in touch with a pair of 140s and got his chance, with a missed double 18 for a 116 game shot from the English ace letting him take out tops to reach the decider.