'The Machine' battled through several nail-biting contests, including a 7-6 semi-final triumph over Michael van Gerwen, before showing a touch of class to see off Aspinall in the final.
Wade is battling to have his best year in the PDC after demonstrating immense improvements in 2025, and the 42-year-old can use the Players Championship to gain ranking points and prize money to qualify for the sport’s biggest events.
Flashscore rounds up the major talking points from Hildesheim.
Tweddell reaches quarter-final
The Players Championship gives the lesser-ranked players a chance to upset the biggest names, with the top 128 competing across 34 series of dart tournaments.
In the first competition of the year, world No. 98 Jack Tweddell produced some stunning displays enroute to a quarter-final showdown with Van Gerwen.
Tweddell overcame Adam Paxton, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Greg Ritchie, and Stefan Bellmont before losing 3-1 against Van Gerwen in the last eight.
It was only in January when Tweddell secured his second Winmau Challenge Tour title with a 5-1 victory over Steve Lennon, and now the 30-year-old is testing himself against some of the PDC’s most iconic names.
Hood thrashes Van Veen
Justin Hood surged up to No. 51 in the world rankings following his sensational run to the quarter-finals on his World Championship debut.
Combining incredible maximum hitting with clinical finishing, Hood proved he can mix it with the world’s best after beating the likes of Danny Noppert and Josh Rock before losing to Gary Anderson in the last eight.
Now a major player in some of the PDC’s biggest tournaments, 'Happy Feet' produced an eye-catching performance against Gian van Veen in the second round.
The 32-year-old averaged a phenomenal 108.50 in a 6-1 demolition to prove world-class performances are in his nature before dropping his levels in a 6-4 defeat to Mensur Suljovic.
Wright endures nightmare start
After spending years dominating in the PDC, Peter Wright’s decline is sad to watch.
From being ranked world No. 1 in 2022 after winning his second World Championship, Snakebite hasn’t made it past the quarter-finals of any televised ranking tournament in over two years.
Van Gerwen even urged Wright to retire after he lost to Arno Merk in the second round of the 2026 World Championship, and that demand has since grown even louder.
In the Players Championship first round on Monday, the Scot averaged just 77.6 in a dismal 6-1 defeat against Suljovic.
It’s worrying times for the 55-year-old, who could soon face a big decision over his future in the sport.