Luke Humphries' recent slump continued with an early exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, where Chris Dobey claimed his second title of 2026 with an impressive victory. Just four days after a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding, failing to regain his form. Gilding went on to beat Beau Greaves 6-3, following her historic quarter-final berth as the first woman in PDC history to achieve this feat.
However, Gilding's run was halted by eventual winner Dobey, who dominated the tournament, including a 7-1 semi-final win against Gilding and an 8-4 final victory over Justin Hood to secure the £15,000 prize. Dobey's consistent performance, including a 105.28 average in the final, solidified his win. "My goal now is to translate this form into TV events and European Tour titles, as I believe I have the ability to do so," Dobey stated.
The tournament also saw a notable nine-darter by Thomas Lovely in his round three loss to Luke Woodhouse. Key results from the event included last 16 wins by Tom Bissell, Connor Scutt, and Chris Dobey, with the latter going on to claim the championship title.