Nebrida wins back-to-back Asian Tour titles in Mongolia

Paolo Nebrida (PDC)

Paolo Nebrida moved up to second on the 2024 PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit last weekend, after claiming back-to-back titles in Mongolia.

The Triple Event Hall in Ulaanbaatar played host to Events 13-15 on June 7-8, with over 200 players in action across the weekend.

Former PDC Asian Championship runner-up Nebrida stole the show with successive wins on Saturday, winning 14 consecutive matches to boost his hopes of an Alexandra Palace return in December.

Nebrida averaged 105.36 to win a thrilling Event 13 decider against Tomoya Goto, reeling off three consecutive legs in 12, 13 and 13 darts to overturn a 4-2 deficit.

Having eased past four Mongolian players to advance to the quarter-finals, Nebrida averaged 97 in a 4-2 win over Singapore icon Paul Lim, before running out a comfortable 5-2 victor against Japan's Motomu Sakai in the semi-finals.

Nebrida then maintained his remarkable winning run with Event 14 success, dispatching Ryusei Azemoto to clinch his third Asian Tour title of 2024.

The two-time World Championship qualifier also averaged 105.47 in his third-round whitewash of Khurelchuluun Nyamaa, having won through a last-leg decider against China's Xicheng Han in the opening round.

The 29-year-old again accounted for Lim in the last eight, before celebrating successive 5-1 wins against Japanese duo Keita Ono and Azemoto to go back-to-back in Ulaanbaatar.

Hong Kong's Man Lok Leung then rounded off this weekend's treble-header with Event 15 glory on Sunday, overcoming 2023 Asian Championship finalist Sandro Sosing 5-2 to capture his fourth Asian Tour crown.

Leung - who lit up Alexandra Palace on debut last year - edged out Gantulga Samdan and Ono in last-leg shoot-outs, before recording a trio of whitewash wins in the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.

Nebrida's 15-match winning run was halted by Yuta Hayashi in the last 64, while Goto crashed in a stunning 106.29 average in his third-round tie, before succumbing to Sosing in the quarter-finals.

Two-time Lakeside champion Mikuru Suzuki also impressed in her run to the semi-finals, whitewashing Azemoto and edging out Lourence Ilagan in the process.

Despite his absence last weekend, Alexis Toylo still boasts a $3,700 lead at the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, with Nebrida overhauling Azemoto to occupy third spot, ahead of Sosing in fourth position.

The next weekend of the 2024 PDC Asian Tour will take place in Singapore from August 10-11, with coverage from Events 16-18 set to be broadcast on PDCTV from the last 16 onwards.

2024 PDC Asian Tour
Saturday June 8, Mongolia
Event 13
Quarter-Finals

Paolo Nebrida 4-2 Paul Lim
Motomu Sakai 4-1 Yuta Hayashi
Tomoya Goto 4-1 Batbold Tumurchudur
Ryusei Azemoto 4-1 Man Lok Leung

Semi-Finals
Paolo Nebrida 5-2 Motomu Sakai
Tomoya Goto 5-1 Ryusei Azemoto

Final
Paolo Nebrida 5-4 Tomoya Goto

Event 14
Quarter-Finals

Paolo Nebrida 4-1 Paul Lim
Keita Ono 4-2 Bulgan-Erdene Bishbat
Nitin Kumar 4-3 Sandro Sosing
Ryusei Azemoto 4-2 Lok Yin Lee

Semi-Finals
Paolo Nebrida 5-1 Keita Ono
Ryusei Azemoto 5-1 Nitin Kumar

Final
Paolo Nebrida 5-1 Ryusei Azemoto

Sunday June 9
Event 15
Quarter-Finals

Alain AbiAbi 4-2 Yuta Hayashi
Man Lok Leung 4-0 Purevloov Tungalag
Sandro Sosing 4-2 Tomoya Goto
Mikuru Suzuki 4-3 Lourence Ilagan

Semi-Finals
Man Lok Leung 5-0 Alain AbiAbi
Sandro Sosing 5-3 Mikuru Suzuki

Final
Man Lok Leung 5-2 Sandro Sosing