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Jeffrey de Graaf
Jeffrey de Graaf

Darts results: Jeffrey de Graaf wins second PDC title with victory over Jonny Clayton

Darts
Thu June 04, 2026 · 4h ago

Jeffrey de Graaf celebrated his second PDC ranking title with a superb victory in Tuesday’s Players Championship Nineteen in Milton Keynes.

Swedish number one De Graaf – who will star in this weekend’s Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters – enjoyed the perfect preparation for Copenhagen with a terrific campaign at Arena MK.

The 35-year-old defeated Welsh number one Jonny Clayton 8-5 to pocket the £15,000 top prize, averaging north of 101 and registering eight 180s in the final to ignite his 2026 season.

De Graaf opened his challenge with a trio of 6-4 victories, overcoming Karel Sedlacek, Adam Lipscombe and Premier League star Josh Rock in advancing to the last 16.

The former World Cup quarter-finalist continued his charge with a 6-2 thumping of Bradley Brooks, before accounting for top seed Wessel Nijman in a high-quality last eight clash.

De Graaf produced a sublime 170 finish midway through the contest, and he repeated the feat in his semi-final tie against Luke Woodhouse, where he survived four match darts to triumph in a decider.

The Swedish star capitalised on this reprieve in the early stages of Tuesday’s showpiece against Clayton, following up a clinical 104 checkout with a brace of 12-darters to lead 3-1.

Clayton restored parity by reeling off the next two legs in just 27 darts, although De Graaf regained his advantage with a three-leg flurry to power 6-3 ahead.

De Graaf then moved to the brink of victory with a nerveless 117 kill in leg 11, before thwarting any hopes of a Clayton fightback by sealing the deal via double nine.

“The final was great. It felt like I couldn’t miss,” insisted De Graaf, who clinched his maiden Players Championship title last August.

“My finishing was really good today, especially at important times. That is what got me over the line.

“This is my third year now with a Tour Card - the first two years, it was very inconsistent, I had a good day and that saved my year. This year, I’ve been way more consistent.

“On the other side, this is already the 19th [Players Championship] tournament and I hadn’t had a deep run. So it’s amazing I got the win!

“I just want to improve, and then I think the results will come in the end.”

Despite missing out on a first ranking title of 2026, Clayton performed magnificently in Milton Keynes, averaging almost 101 across his seven matches.

The 51-year-old began his title bid with an emphatic 6-1 success against Dutch icon Raymond van Barneveld, before averaging 102 and 103 in sweeping aside Niall Culleton and Max Hopp respectively.

Clayton then launched an astonishing fightback from 5-0 down in the last 16 against Stephen Rosney, after the Irishman remarkably spurned three darts for a whitewash victory.

Galvanised by that narrow escape, Clayton dispatched Spanish star Cristo Reyes 6-1 in the quarter-finals, which he backed up with a mesmerising 7-4 victory over Rob Cross – courtesy of a 111.21 average.

Cross bolstered his hopes of qualifying for next month’s World Matchplay with a strong semi-final showing, having also reached the last four on the European Tour circuit a fortnight ago.

The 2017/18 World Champion averaged 103 and 106 respectively in wins against Thomas Lovely and Charlie Manby, while also overturning a 5-4 deficit against William O’Connor in the last eight.

Cross was joined in the semi-finals by man of the moment Woodhouse, who was narrowly denied the chance to capture his third ranking title in the space of two weeks.

Nijman, meanwhile, was among the losing quarter-finalists, with Spanish trailblazer Reyes and Ireland’s World Cup duo O’Connor and Mickey Mansell completing the last eight line-up.

Elsewhere, a plethora of high-profile names suffered early exits at Arena MK, as Gian van Veen, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, Danny Noppert, Chris Dobey and Kevin Doets all crashed out in round one.

Damon Heta, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Jermaine Wattimena also departed at the same stage, before two-time World Champion Gary Anderson lost out to Nijman in round three.

Players Championship 19

Last 16

  • Wessel Nijman 6-1 James Hurrell
  • Jeffrey de Graaf 6-2 Bradley Brooks
  • Mickey Mansell 6-3 Andrew Gilding
  • Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Mervyn King
  • William O'Connor 6-2 Ross Smith
  • Rob Cross 6-2 Charlie Manby
  • Cristo Reyes 6-1 Rob Owen
  • Jonny Clayton 6-5 Stephen Rosney

Quarter-Finals

  • Jeffrey de Graaf 6-4 Wessel Nijman
  • Luke Woodhouse 6-4 Mickey Mansell
  • Rob Cross 6-5 William O'Connor
  • Jonny Clayton 6-1 Cristo Reyes

Semi-Finals

  • Jeffrey de Graaf 7-6 Luke Woodhouse
  • Jonny Clayton 7-4 Rob Cross

Final

  • Jeffrey de Graaf 8-5 Jonny Clayton

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