James Wade launched his 2026 Players Championship campaign in style on Monday, claiming the Players Championship One title in Hildesheim with an 8-6 victory over Nathan Aspinall.
The two-time World Grand Prix champion delivered a day packed with resilience and clutch finishing, navigating four deciding-leg encounters before denying Aspinall to secure his 12th Players Championship crown and his first title of the new season.
Wade’s run began with back-to-back last-leg wins against Karel Sedlacek and Alexander Merkx, before he produced commanding displays to defeat Jeffrey De Graaf 6-1 and Austrian number one Mensur Suljovic 6-3. He then edged past Joe Cullen in another decider to reach the semi-finals.
In the last four, the 42-year-old produced one of the performances of the tournament, overturning a 6-5 deficit against Michael van Gerwen by reeling off consecutive legs and converting spectacular finishes of 104, 127, 130 and 137 to reach his first ProTour final since June 2025.
The final saw Wade once again dig deep. Despite averaging two points lower than Aspinall, he fired in five 180s and recovered from a 5-3 deficit, winning four legs in just 41 darts before sealing victory with a clinical 16-darter.
“I’m happy aren’t I!” admitted Wade. “I probably should have beaten him [Aspinall] a lot easier than I did, but then again it’s Nathan; for four legs he absolutely pummelled me!
“I had nothing to give. I was as flat as a pancake, but yeah, I dug deep, and I’m quite happy.”
Reflecting on his timing at the business end, Wade added: “It wasn’t bad, was it? I didn’t want to go to that last leg there!”
Aspinall impressed throughout the day despite falling short in the final, while highlights elsewhere included a perfect leg from Mickey Mansell and a 108.47 average from Justin Hood.
Source: PDC.TV
