Heta beats Aspinall to win first PDC title of 2025

Damon Heta secured his first PDC title of 2025 pinch an 8-6 triumph complete Nathan Aspinall successful nan last of nan 13th Players Championship arena of nan year.

Australian number 1 Heta, 37, raced into a 4-1 lead earlier England's Aspinall, who won Thursday's Premier League nighttime successful Manchester, rallied and astatine 6-6 nan lucifer was finely poised.

Heta past edged a scrappy 20-dart limb earlier closing retired nan title successful much objective manner to decorativeness pinch an mean of 94.91 to Aspinall's 88.45.

Heta's triumph astatine nan Autotron Centre successful Rosmalen, nan Netherlands, helped him climb up to seventh connected nan PDC bid of merit.

"For immoderate logic successful darts you sometimes get wins erstwhile you're not playing great, and don't get what you merit erstwhile you are playing well," he told nan PDC.

"I've been moving connected a fewer things to do pinch my darts set-up, I'm looking for those 1 per cents to return my crippled to nan adjacent level.

"I'm a difficult worker, I'm going to support doing what I'm doing and hopefully move up astatine nan large events and get my rewards."

Earlier, Dutchman Michael van Gerwen had suffered a astonishment first-round conclusion by Mario Vandenbogaerde.

Van Gerwen had been stunned by Irish amateur Michael Flynn astatine nan aforesaid venue successful February and this clip succumbed to different upset connected location ungraded against nan 51-year-old Belgian.

The three-time world champion was good placed to scope nan 2nd information aft he went 4-2 up, only for Vandenbogaerde to triumph 4 legs connected nan bounce.

Elsewhere, Wessel Nijman threw a nine-dart limb during his 6-0 triumph complete Rob Owen successful nan first round, but went retired successful nan quarter-finals.

Neither world number 1 Luke Humphries nor world champion Luke Littler took portion successful nan event.

There are 34 Players Championship events crossed nan year, pinch nan competition's finals held successful Minehead successful November.

The 2nd of nan double-header successful Rosmalen is connected Tuesday.