Gerwyn Price captured his tenth European Tour title on Sunday, edging past Ross Smith 8-6 in a tense final at the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen. The victory puts the Welshman alongside Michael van Gerwen as the only players with double-digit European Tour victories. Price, who averaged just under 100 across the tournament, started his campaign with a 6-4 win over Dave Chisnall, firing in five maximums, before defeating Chris Dobey 6-4 with a superb 105.96 average.
In the quarterfinals, Price survived a match dart from Martin Schindler, stealing the deciding leg after the German failed to convert. "I was just struggling to get over the winning line. I lost in the last European Tour final that I played in," said Price. He then gained revenge on Wessel Nijman in the semifinals, winning 7-4 to book his second European Tour final of the year.
The final saw Price race into a 3-0 lead before Smith reeled off four consecutive legs to move ahead. "Ross started smashing the trebles in for fun. I was hanging on and hoping I got more opportunities, and I did," Price remarked. A 130 checkout from Price and crucial doubles misses from Smith allowed Price to pull away to 7-5. Smith cut it to 7-6, but Price closed it out in 14 darts.
Afterwards, Price sounded relieved. "Thankfully I won this one, and hopefully it will give me a bit of confidence going forward." However, reflecting on his milestone, he quipped: "I’ve been in the PDC for 12 years now, so less than one a year on average isn’t very good!" Price also marvelled at the crowd support, saying, "I never used to have this support, but I’m cherishing every moment I get on stage - it’s brilliant for me and long may it continue!"
