From 0–6 Down to Ally Pally: Krohne Refuses to Go Away

Six-nil down in a race to eight. One more bad spell and the World Championship dream is somebody else's. Paul Krohne somehow turned that position into a ticket to Ally Pally.

He beat Jan Schmidt 8–7 in Friday's Super League final in Hildesheim. According to PDC Europe's match report, Krohne recovered from 0–6 to 6–6, fell behind again at 6–7, then won the last two legs.

That's the part that gets me. Coming all the way back is difficult enough. Doing it, seeing your opponent move one leg from victory again, and still finding a way through is another test entirely.

The comeback needed a second comeback

At 6–6, I'd imagine it would be easy to feel that all the hard work had already been done. Then the score turns against you again. All that effort has bought you a chance, not a trophy.

We talk a lot about staying in a match. Usually it's a sensible bit of advice that gets repeated without much thought. This final gives it some meaning. Krohne couldn't win eight legs with one visit. He had to keep giving himself another turn.

I won't pretend every big deficit can be rescued by a good attitude. Sometimes the other player closes it out. But if you decide the match is finished before the last double, you've made that job a lot easier for them.

There's another reason this result feels special. Krohne lost the 2024 Super League final 7–8 to Kai Gotthardt. This time, the deciding leg went his way and the World Championship place came with it.

For Schmidt, it's a brutal final to lose. We can enjoy an extraordinary recovery without forgetting that someone else was standing on the other side of it.

With the Grand Slam beginning this weekend, there's plenty competing for our attention. But this is the result I'll remember from Friday: 0–6 behind, 8–7 in front, and a very different next trip to Alexandra Palace for Paul Krohne.

Official event artwork: PDC Europe · HYLO Super League 2026.