Karel Sedlacek Makes Czech Darts History With Players Championship 30 Triumph

Karel Sedlacek made Czech darts history on Wednesday, defeating Scott Williams 8-7 in a dramatic Players Championship 30 final to become the first Czech player to win a PDC ranking title.

Sedlacek survived a remarkable finale at Maassport Den Bosch, missing seven match darts before finally pinning the winning double to complete a memorable triumph.

The 47-year-old produced a superb display throughout the day, conceding just two legs in his opening three matches against Tavis Dudeney, Daniel Klose and Damon Heta.

Sedlacek averaged almost 106 in his demolition of Australia’s number one before continuing his charge with a 6-3 victory over former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.

The Czech then produced a stunning comeback against Chris Dobey, recovering from 3-0 and 4-1 down to claim a 6-5 victory and reach the quarter-finals.

He followed that with a commanding 7-2 success over Niels Zonneveld to book his place in a maiden PDC ranking final.

Williams made the stronger start to the showpiece, racing into a 4-2 lead, but Sedlacek responded with three consecutive ton-plus finishes, including 123 and 164 checkouts, to turn the contest around and move 5-4 ahead.

The Czech then had the opportunity to close out the biggest win of his career, only to miss five match darts as Williams continued to fight.

Sedlacek appeared to have another chance when Williams left him 112, but a wayward dart from the Englishman denied his opponent the opportunity to return to the oche.

With the pressure mounting, Sedlacek finally held his nerve in the deciding leg to secure an historic 8-7 victory and become the first Czech player to lift a PDC ranking title.

“For me it’s a really special time,” reflected a visibly emotional Sedlacek.

“I have been waiting for this for more than ten years and now it’s a reality. It’s crazy.

“I missed five match darts and thought what could I do more. I went step-by-step and I said ‘you can do it!’

“It still sounds like a dream. I’m really happy, but I said last Saturday when I lost against Gian [van Veen], I played really well.

“It means everything. I have played more than 30 years, and now I’ve done it. I don’t know what to say. For me, I think that’s the top [moment] of my career.

“Darts is growing in Czech Republic day by day. There are more and more players and good players. I think this is one of the best points of my career.”

Despite falling just short of a second PDC ranking title, Williams enjoyed a magnificent run in Den Bosch, averaging 99.36 across his seven matches to strengthen his hopes of qualifying for the World Championship.

The 36-year-old, who was £6,000 outside the provisional qualification cut-off before Wednesday’s action, produced an astonishing 33 maximums during the event and collected the £10,000 runner-up prize.

Williams began with victories over Mensur Suljovic and Danny Noppert before producing a huge 110.41 average to defeat Richard Veenstra.

A 103 average then helped him sweep aside Tommy Lishman before he produced two more impressive victories against Dutch duo Michael van Gerwen and Jermaine Wattimena to reach his first ProTour final since June 2025.

Wattimena also enjoyed a strong run on home soil, following averages of 103 and 101 with deciding-leg victories over Martin Schindler and Steve Lennon to reach the semi-finals.

His run ended against Williams, who advanced to the final with another composed display.

Zonneveld was another Dutch standout, opening his campaign with a 106.47 average before defeating Sebastian Bialecki, Luke Woodhouse and Raymond van Barneveld to reach his first Players Championship semi-final of 2026.

Van Barneveld and Van Gerwen were among the quarter-finalists as two of the Netherlands’ biggest names rolled back the years in Den Bosch.

Van Barneveld produced four consecutive 6-2 victories to reach his first ranking quarter-final of the season, a run which also moved him into the provisional World Championship qualification places.

Van Gerwen, meanwhile, gained revenge over Benjamin Pratnemer for Tuesday’s defeat before averaging 107.47 in a thrilling all-Dutch encounter against Jimmy van Schie.

Lennon reached his first PDC ranking quarter-final since February 2024, while Dobey also backed up his quarter-final appearance from Tuesday’s Players Championship 29.

Tuesday’s champion Cameron Menzies saw his hopes of back-to-back titles ended in the opening round when Callan Rydz produced a remarkable comeback from 5-1 down.

Josh Rock also suffered an early exit, losing 6-1 to Mario Vandenbogaerde as his hopes of qualifying for November’s Players Championship Finals took another blow.

The PDC ProTour will now head into its final double-header of the regular season, with Players Championships 31 and 32 taking place in Den Bosch on October 28-29.

Karel Sedlacek Makes Czech Darts History With Players Championship 30 Triumph

2026 Players Championship 30

Wednesday September 23

Maassport Den Bosch

Last 16

Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Brendan Dolan

Scott Williams 6-3 Tommy Lishman

Steve Lennon 6-4 Kevin Doets

Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Martin Schindler

Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Luke Woodhouse

Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 Jeffrey de Zwaan

Chris Dobey 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode

Karel Sedlacek 6-3 Nathan Aspinall

Quarter-Finals

Scott Williams 6-2 Michael van Gerwen

Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Steve Lennon

Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld

Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Chris Dobey

Semi-Finals

Scott Williams 7-4 Jermaine Wattimena

Karel Sedlacek 7-2 Niels Zonneveld

Final

Karel Sedlacek 8-7 Scott Williams