MICHAEL VAN GERWEN completed a weekend double at the Barnsley Metrodome by securing a 6-1 victory over Corey Cadby in the final of Sunday's Players Championship Two.
The world number one followed up Saturday's success, where he overcame James Wade in the year's opening Players Championship, by claiming a second £10,000 top prize to continue his dominant start to 2018.
This time, Van Gerwen was victorious against Australian newcomer Corey Cadby, who was bidding to follow up last weekend's win in a Coral UK Open Qualifier with a second PDC title since winning his Tour Card in January.
Van Gerwen set the tone early on during the final with an impressive 101 checkout in the second leg to take a 2-0 lead, and he never looked back.
The Dutchman asserted his dominance over the next two legs to storm in to a 4-0 advantage, before the Australian got his only leg on the board with a 32 checkout.
Cadby had a few more opportunities at doubles, but failed to convert and saw Van Gerwen march on to a 6-1 win, finishing with a 101.7 average to claim the 102nd PDC title of his career.
The triumph saw Van Gerwen continue his imperious form in 2018, securing his fifth tournament win so far this year, however he still believes he can play better after surviving match darts earlier in the day against Luke Woodhouse and being taken to a deciding leg by Ryan Searle.
"I didn't have a good day, I played poorly, but I'm still really glad that I won to take tournament win number 102," said the Dutchman.
When asked about his performance in the final, he commented: "Every time I had a chance I took it and I didn't make a lot of mistakes.
"Corey is a very good player. I think he was trying too hard in the final, but I'm sure he can do some really good things in the future. With his quality, he could easily become a top ten player. He is a great talent and has a great throw."
Van Gerwen started the day with an impressive 6-1 win over Steve Lennon before going on to defeat Jamie Lewis 6-3.
His toughest tests came in the next two rounds when he was taken to a deciding leg by both Searle and Woodhouse, surviving numerous match darts against the latter, but ultimately taking both games 6-5.
The world number one was back to his best in the quarter-finals and semi-finals with 6-2 victories over Adrian Lewis and Simon Stevenson to reach the final, hitting seven perfect darts in one leg against Lewis.
Cadby claimed some impressive wins on his way to the final, starting with a 6-1 win over Lee Bryant, before sneaking past Jonny Clayton in a 6-5 thriller.
The next two rounds saw wins of 6-3 over Davy van Baelen and 6-1 over Danny Noppert, before coming up against Gary Anderson in the quarter-finals.
The Australian averaged over 103 en route to a 6-4 win over the Scotsman, followed by a 6-3 win over Ian White to reach the final.
Elsewhere, it was an impressive day for Simon Stevenson, who reached the semi-finals after most notably completing a 6-0 whitewash over World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney.
It was another disappointing day for world number two Peter Wright, though, as the Scot crashed out in the first round, along with Raymond van Barneveld, Dave Chisnall and James Wade.
The Players Championship action will continue with Event Three and Event Four on March 10-11 at the Barnsley Metrodome, with coverage being streamed live on PDCTV-HD from two boards simultaneously.
See full results in the Match Centre at this link.
Players Championship Two
Sunday February 18, Barnsley Metrodome
Last 16
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Luke Woodhouse
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Richie Burnett
Simon Stevenson 6-2 Kirk Shepherd
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Ricky Evans
Steve West 6-4 Ryan Meikle
Ian White 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Corey Cadby 6-1 Danny Noppert
Gary Anderson 6-3 Robert Thornton
Quarter Finals
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Adrian Lewis
Simon Stevenson 6-5 Ryan Joyce
Ian White 6-4 Steve West
Corey Cadby 6-4 Gary Anderson
Semi Finals
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Simon Stevenson
Corey Cadby 6-3 Ian White
Final
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Corey Cadby