Niels Zonneveld won his first major PDC title with an 8-5 victory over Danny Noppert in the Dutch Darts Championship final on Sunday.
An entertaining all-Dutch final in Maastricht was a tight contest that ended 2-2 before Zonneveld won three legs in a row.
Noppert responded to close the gap to 5-4, but Zonneveld regained control and won back-to-back legs – including 157 checks – to take a 7-4 lead.
Despite a tough battle against Noppert, Zonneveld then saw out the match with an 81 check and hit a double triple to seal the title.
The 28-year-old’s route to the final saw him defeat Stephen Bunting 7-4 in the semi-finals, and that encounter followed a spectacular comeback in the last eight with a 6-5 victory in the final. Against Wessel Nijman, Zonneveld came from 5-3 down to level at 5-5 before his Dutch counterpart managed to break out after missing a match dart.
Noppert also impressed in his run to the final, securing his place in the showpiece of the tournament with a 7-5 win over compatriot Gian van Veen in the semi-finals.
It came after a comfortable quarter-final display from Noppert, who recorded another impressive average on his way to the last four, recording 113.42 in a 6-2 win over Luke Woodhouse.
In the quarter-finals, Bunting beat Damon Heta 6-3 to win 148 points, while Van Veen beat Ryan Searle 6-3.
Early on Sunday, some worries were warranted as Gerwyn Price was beaten 6-4 by Zonneveld and Nathan Aspinall was beaten 6-1 by Bunting in the third round.
Results from Sunday’s Dutch Darts Championship
Third round
Gian van Veen 6-1 Brendan Dolan
Ryan Searle 6-4 Ross Smith
William O’Connor 4-6 Luke Woodhouse
Danny Noppert 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena
Gerwyn Price 4-6 Niels Zonneveld
Wessel Nijman 6-3 Cristo Reyes
Damon Heta 6-4 Martin Schindler
Stephen Bunting 6-1 Nathan Aspinall
Quarter finals
Danny Noppert 6-2 Luke Woodhouse
Gian van Veen 6-3 Ryan Searle
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 Wessel Nijman
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Damon Heta
Semifinals
Danny Noppert 7-5 Gian van Veen
Niels Zonneveld 7-4 Stephen Bunting
The final
Niels Zonneveld 8-5 Danny Noppert
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