Ross Smith destroys Gerwyn Price to conquer World Series Finals
The weekend had been set up for another chapter in the Luke Littler story, yet by Sunday night it was Ross Smith standing on stage with the trophy after producing one of the most ruthless finishing bursts of the tournament.
Smith beat Price 11-5 in the final, winning the last six legs in succession after the match had been finely balanced at 5-5 and turning what looked like a tight battle into a hammering.
Once Smith found his range, Price simply could not live with him.
The Englishman piled in 11 maximums, hit back-to-back ton-plus finishes and converted 46% of his attempts at doubles, while Price struggled to match that accuracy and ended the contest on 26%.
It completed a superb day for Smith, who had already beaten Josh Rock 10-7 in the quarter-finals before seeing off home favourite Gian van Veen 11-8 in the semis.
The victory gives Smith the second major PDC title of his career, following his European Championship success in 2022, and continues an excellent 2026 season in which he has also collected European Tour and Players Championship titles.
Price had little answer once the final accelerated away from him and admitted afterwards that his display had fallen well below the level he wanted, although reaching another major final still capped a strong run in Amsterdam.
Littler's perfect run finally ends
Earlier in the day, the tournament had delivered an even bigger shock as Jonny Clayton ended Littler's extraordinary pursuit of a clean sweep of the major PDC titles available to him in 2026.
Littler arrived having swept through the opening five majors of the year and also won the World Cup alongside Luke Humphries, making the prospect of another trophy feel increasingly realistic.
Clayton had other plans.
The Welshman dismantled the world No.1 10-4 in the quarter-finals, bringing Littler's remarkable winning sequence to a sudden halt before later losing 11-7 to Price in the semi-finals.
That defeat appeared to leave the door open for Price to take centre stage. Smith slammed it shut.
With the final level at 5-5, he suddenly went nuclear, reeled off six straight legs and walked away with the biggest prize of his season so far.
