De Decker wins maiden senior PDC title
De Decker wins maiden senior PDC title.
Mike De Decker won his first senior PDC title with a magnificent performance in Players Championship 16 on Thursday, culminating in a stunning 8-2 upset of Ricky Evans in the final.
The 28-year-old from Mechelen has steadily progressed on the PDC circuit over the last decade, winning four Development Tour events along the way.
On Wednesday, De Decker advanced to the second quarter-final of 2024, but 24 hours later, he won the £15,000 title for the first time on the ProTour.
Admitting that the win was the highlight of his career to date, De Decker added: “I’m over the moon to win this.
“I’ve been in a final of a Players Championship before and lost to Rob Cross, and it’s taken a while for me to get over the winning line.
“There was an article this week that came out with the top players from Belgium in history and I was tenth – it didn’t feel good being tenth!
“I came here this week – yesterday I had a quarter-final and now I won a tournament – hopefully they change the list now!”
“Finally I can say I won something!” he added. “I’ve grown up, taken the game more seriously [and] started to practice more, taken it more professionally and finally it pays off.
“Hopefully the next step is [to win] a European Tour.”

De Decker was outstanding throughout Thursday’s event in Milton Keynes, with a 93.45 average in his first round victory over fellow countryman Robbie Knops being his lowest of the day.
He averaged over 105 in a second-round win over Jose de Sousa, then defeated top seed Dave Chisnall, Danny Van Trijp, Brendan Dolan (in a decision), and Karel Sedlacek to reach the final.
There, he denied England’s Evans his first senior victory with a remarkable performance, hitting six 180s and eight doubles from 14 tries, finishing with a 104.87 average.
De Decker opened up a 3-0 lead with back-to-back 13-darters, but Evans responded in the fourth with another trio of legs, including finishes of 13 and 12 darts, to create a 6-1 cushion.
Evans hit back in leg eight, but missed the bull in the next, leaving De Decker on the verge of a 14-darter victory after finishing 80 on tops.
Evans’ performance was his best since reaching the semi-finals of March’s Ladbrokes UK Open, and he advanced to his first ProTour final in almost two years.
The Kettering ace also played consistently high-quality darts throughout Thursday’s event, which opened with a close victory over Rob Cross.
He also eliminated former European Champion Ross Smith in the round of 16 and defeated World Champion Luke Humphries 7-4 in the semi-finals.
Humphries demonstrated his abilities by winning five matches on his route to the last four, when he was joined by Czech legend Karel Sedlacek.
Sedlacek had his greatest run on the ProTour, defeating John Henderson, Graham Usher, Adam Warner, Ryan Joyce, and Gabriel Clemens.
Premier League champion Luke Littler’s attempt for back-to-back Players Championship crowns was interrupted in the last 32 by Cameron Menzies, who then defeated Josh Rock with the day’s highest average of 108.86 to go to the quarter-finals.
German ace Clemens and Connor Scutt advanced to the 2024 ProTour quarterfinals, while De Decker stopped Dolan’s hope for a second Players Championship of the year.
The Players Championship treble-header concludes on Friday, with Tour Card Holder Qualifiers for European Tour Events 11 and 12 taking place on Saturday.
2024 Players Championship 16
Thursday August 1, Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
Last 16
Mike De Decker 6-4 Danny Van Trijp
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Gabriel Clemens 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Ryan Joyce
Luke Humphries 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Josh Rock
Ricky Evans 6-4 Ross Smith
Connor Scutt 6-4 Wesley Plaisier
Quarter-Finals
Mike De Decker 6-5 Brendan Dolan
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Gabriel Clemens
Luke Humphries 6-3 Cameron Menzies
Ricky Evans 6-5 Connor Scutt
Semi-Finals
Mike De Decker 7-5 Karel Sedlacek
Ricky Evans 7-4 Luke Humphries
Final
Mike De Decker 8-2 Ricky Evans