Jeffrey de Graaf captured his second Players Championship title in Milton Keynes by defeating Johnny Clayton in the final. Although the final victory looked convincing, De Graaf stressed afterwards that it had been anything but an easy day. “It's been a struggle all day,” he reflected after winning the title. “This is the first game where I felt like the scoring was really clicking, but every single game was a struggle. My finishing was brilliant, but that's about it.”
Against former Premier League champion Johnny Clayton, De Graaf produced an average well above a hundred and also threw eight maximums. “Against Johnny it felt like I could throw with freedom and that my trebles finally started to land the way I wanted. But you know Jonny—he's brilliant, so you need to push your level.” The route to the title featured several precarious moments, especially in his clash with Luke Woodhouse. “I thought it was finished,” De Graaf admitted. “When he missed three darts for the match, I think. But that's also the only game where I survived match darts.”
On his way to the title, De Graaf also faced Wessel Nijman, who had produced a phenomenal display in the previous round with a 104 average and a flawless record on his doubles. Against De Graaf, however, he was less effective. “Well, I didn't see what he did in the previous game,” he laughed. “But I'm happy he didn't do it against me because he was struggling a bit against me as well. He didn't play anywhere near the level he showed in the game before.” De Graaf added: “I think I hit a 170 checkout against him—that was an important one—and then another 170 setup.”
While his scoring was inconsistent, De Graaf hardly faltered on the doubles. “It felt like my finishing was strong all day,” he said. “My finishing was really good, especially at the important moments in every single game. It made a difference and I think that's what got me over the line today.” The victory in Milton Keynes is further confirmation that De Graaf is making strides at the highest level. “I feel like I've become more consistent, basically,” he explained. “This is my third year on the tour with a Tour Card, and I feel like during the first two years I was very inconsistent. I'd have the occasional good day, and that would kind of save my year. But this year I feel like I've been much more consistent. This is the first time I've gone beyond the quarter-finals, and it's amazing that I managed to win it.”
With the victory, De Graaf puts himself in an excellent position for the coming months. “I definitely want to play all the European Tour events. I think I'm in a good position for that right now.” Regarding the World Matchplay race, he said: “That race remains tricky, but with this win I’m obviously back in the mix. There are still a number of tournaments to play, so you never know what can happen.” He remains focused on development: “I just want to keep improving. As long as I'm improving, I feel like the results will come in the end.”