Zong wins inaugural PDC China Championship to confirm Ally Pally return

Xiaochen Zong (PDC)

Xiaochen Zong will make his fourth World Darts Championship appearance in December, after storming to victory in the inaugural PDC China Championship on Sunday.

Zong has been the dominant force in Chinese darts over recent years, and he reaffirmed that status with a straight-sets triumph against Wenqing Liu in Sunday's final.

The first staging of the $10,000 event in Xiamen saw 24 players competing for the title and World Championship qualification, with Zong winning 31 legs and conceding just seven en route to glory.

The 26-year-old eased through Group A with resounding victories over Zishuo Wang and Yuyi Shao, reeling off five straight legs to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Wang, before averaging 96 to complete a five-leg whitewash of Shao.

Zong then began the knockout stages with a deciding-set win against Zhiwei Lin, while he won six legs without reply to complete a straight-sets thrashing of Xicheng Han in the semi-finals.

This set up a showdown against Liu for a place at Alexandra Palace, although it was China's World Cup star Zong who took centre stage, relinquishing a solitary leg on his way to an emphatic straight-sets success.

Zong will also now headline October's PDC Asian Championship, which will take place in the Philippines from October 17-20, as the biggest names in Asian darts compete for the coveted title across four days of action in Manila.

2024 PDC China Championship
Sunday August 18, Xiamen, China
Quarter-Finals (Set-Play Format)

Xiaochen Zong 2-1 Zhiwei Lin
Xicheng Han 2-0 Binjie He
Wenqing Liu 2-0 Jingsong Lin
Bin Zheng 2-1 Zizhao Zheng

Semi-Finals
Xiaochen Zong 2-0 Xicheng Han
Wenqing Liu 2-1 Bin Zheng

Final
Xiaochen Zong 3-0 Wenqing Liu