Kim Huybrechts wins Players Championship 3
Kim Huybrechts stormed to Players Championship 3 victory in Barnsley on Saturday thanks to a comprehensive 8-1 win over Germany no. 1 Gabriel Clemens.
Huybrechts produced a string of dominant performances to win the £12,000 top prize at the Barnsley Metrodome before sending Clemens on Saturday’s showpiece to clinch his first PDC title since 2015.
Clemens suffered an 8-0 loss to Dirk van Duijvenbode in a ProTour final 12 months ago and it looked like he would eventually suffer the same fate.
Huybrechts clinched first blood with a two-dart 78 checkout before punishing Clemens’ wastage to take a 5-0 lead, despite the German winning four of those legs with double darts.
The Antwerp ace then converted 70 and 117 finishes in consecutive legs to move 7-0 to the brink of victory, only for Clemens to open his account in the eighth leg with a 103 outshot.
That gave Clemens only temporary respite, however, as Huybrechts sealed the deal with a 16-dart hold over the double eight to return to the winners’ circle in style.
“I believe in my own abilities”
“It means the world to me. I’m so happy”, said Huybrechts and celebrated his fifth PDC title.
“I’ve worked very hard since the World Cup. I lost two games last weekend averaging 103 and 98 and thought that can’t always happen but the level is so high these days.
“When I won my last title, I was on the rise. My name was always there and now I wasn’t even in the conversation, so this win means everything.
“I want to be in the top 16 again. I want to be qualified for everything. I want to be in the top 10 in the world again.
“That’s my goal and some people will say I won’t achieve it, but you have to set goals in your life and I believe in my own abilities.”
Huybrechts punctuated his credentials with a stunning opening-round win over Devon Petersen averaging 112 to sweep the South African aside.
Huybrechts then edged out Players Championship 1 semi-finalist Dylan Slevin and beat Premier League star Nathan Aspinall with a 102 average before passing Ricardo Pietreczko to secure his last place in the quarters.
The 37-year-old then braved a valiant comeback from Josh Rock to secure his semi-final spot, notching a 13-dart hold in the final leg after Rock roared back for equalization from a 5-1 deficit.
This led to a semi-final showdown against Gerwyn Price and the Belgian emerged as a convincing 7-3 winner despite a brief rally from Price midway through the competition.
Clemens – appearing in his seventh PDC final – failed to secure his elusive top-ranked title, but he continued his strong start to 2023 to secure the £8,000 second-place prize .
The semi-finalist of the world championship drove past Jules van Dongen in his opening round, whom he followed with victories over Jose Justicia, Kevin Doets and the European champion Ross Smith.
Clemens continued his progress with a quarterfinal win over Latvia’s Madars Razma before delivering four straight legs from a 4-3 deficit to defeat Canada’s Matt Campbell in the last four.
2023 Players Championship 3 results
Saturday February 18th
last 16
- Andrew Gilding 6-3 Jamie Hughes
- Gerwyn Price 6-2 Richard Veenstra
- Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Ricardo Pietreczko
- Josh Rock 6-3 Adam Warner
- Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Ross Smith
- Madar’s Razma 6-4 Danny Noppert
- Matt Campbell 6-2 Niels Zonneveld
- Gian van Veen 6-4 Jonny Clayton
quarter finals
- Gerwyn Price 6-5 Andrew Gilding
- Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Josh Rock
- Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Madars Razma
- Matt Campbell 6-3 Gian van Veen
semifinals
- Kim Huybrechts 7-3 Gerwyn Price
- Gabriel Clemens 7-4 Matt Campbell
final
- Kim Huybrechts 8-1 Gabriel Clemens