Ross Smith edges Josh Rock in decider to win Players Championship 29

Ross Smith rallied from the brink to claim his second PDC ProTour title of 2025 on Wednesday, beating Josh Rock in a last-leg decider at Players Championship 29 at Leicester's Mattioli Arena. Smith, who had withdrawn from last weekend's Swiss Darts Trophy because of a family bereavement, recovered from deficits of 64 and 75 in the final to land a 118 checkout in the deciding leg and secure the victory.

Smith produced a series of high-quality displays across the day, posting four 100-plus averages en route to the title. He opened with a 104 average in a win over Berry van Peer, then beat Jamai van den Herik and Lukas Wenig while dropping just three legs across those matches. In the last 16 he delivered a 106 average to whitewash Michael van Gerwen, and followed that with wins over Ryan Meikle and Wessel Nijman to reach the final.

Rock's run to the final included a nine-dart finish in round three against Wesley Plaisier and victories over Dirk van Duijvenbode and Danny Noppert. He edged Gary Anderson in the semifinals with a single decisive break of throw to set up the title match against Smith, which was decided by fine margins and ended in Smith's favour.