In the heart-pounding finale of the inaugural SUPERBET Poland Darts Open, held before a raucous capacity crowd at EXPO Kraków, Dutch sensation Gian van Veen etched his name into darts history with his first-ever televised nine-darter. Yet, despite the perfection that sent shockwaves through the arena, it was world number one Luke Littler who emerged victorious, clinching an 8-4 triumph and the £35,000 top prize in a match that will be remembered as much for its drama as its dominance.
The clash was a highly anticipated rematch of January’s World Championship final at Alexandra Palace, where the 19-year-old Warrington wizard Littler had dismantled van Veen 7-1. This time, in Poland’s debut European Tour event—the first of the 2026 calendar—van Veen, the Netherlands’ top-ranked player and world number three, arrived with fire in his belly. Both had carved thrilling paths to the best-of-15-leg showdown.
Littler, already a two-time world champion and the reigning European king, powered through the afternoon’s third round with a comeback 6-2 win over Ross Smith, rallying from 2-0 down with a ton-plus average, five 180s, and clinical 55% doubles success. He then obliterated Josh Rock 6-1 in the quarters before edging Chris Dobey 7-3 in the semis, where he averaged nearly 106 with a flawless 44% on the outer bed. It marked his fifth European Tour title in just 714 days—a staggering statistic for the teenager who’s redefined darts’ elite level.
Van Veen, meanwhile, was on a mission for his maiden European Tour crown. The Dutch powerhouse overturned a 4-2 deficit against Nathan Aspinall in the last 16 with a clutch 122 bullseye finish, then demolished compatriot Wessel Nijman 6-2 in the quarters at a scorching 107.5 average. His semi-final against world number two Luke Humphries was a nail-biter, with van Veen holding firm 7-5 despite Humphries wasting eight match darts. It was his seventh win in eight head-to-heads against the Englishman, showcasing van Veen’s meteoric rise.
As the final ignited, van Veen seized an early edge. A blistering 112 checkout and a 14-dart hold leveled at 2-2, setting the stage for leg five. What followed was pure magic: two ferocious back-to-back 180s lit up the scoreboard, the Kraków faithful roaring in anticipation. Van Veen, composure personified, then unleashed a nerveless 141 outshot—T20, T19, double 12—to complete the perfect nine darts in just 26 seconds. The arena exploded; van Veen punched the air, his glasses askew in sheer ecstasy, propelling him to a 3-2 lead in his career’s defining moment.
But Littler, the unflappable phenom, turned the nine-darter into fuel. “It definitely spurred me on,” he revealed afterward. “All weekend I’ve gone off 180 and wanted to go back-to-back for a shot myself, but when Gian hit it, in my head I was like ‘let’s get him now he’s a bit tired’. It’s a big achievement—not easy to do—and in the final so early, I just went for him while he was overwhelmed.”
True to his word, Littler broke immediately in leg six, then reeled off three more in 14, 14, and 12 darts to surge to 6-3. Van Veen clawed back leg ten with a tidy 74 finish, but the damage was done. Littler sealed it emphatically, taking the final two legs in a mere 28 darts total, his match average a blistering 108.06 punctuated by seven 180s.
Van Veen, gracious in defeat, couldn’t hide a wry smile at his own brilliance’s curse. “I wish I missed that double 12! Of course I’m very happy to hit the nine-darter, but the next two or three legs I wasn’t good. I was so excited—my first ever on stage—that cost me the final. Fair play to Luke; that spurred him on. That’s why he’s world number one.”
For Littler, the victory was timely redemption after a sluggish start to the Premier League’s first three nights. “I’ve not felt the best there, so I definitely needed this one,” he said. “We can take it onto Belfast on Thursday.” There, he’ll face Jonny Clayton in the quarters, headlined by van Veen versus Rock, as Humphries defends his PL crown.
The Poland Darts Open delivered non-stop thrills: Dobey’s last-leg last-16 escape against Luke Woodhouse, Michael Smith’s upset of Clayton, Humphries’ twin 6-1 romps. Yet van Veen’s perfection amid defeat—and Littler’s ice-cold response—stole the spotlight. In a sport where legends are forged on the oche, both proved they’re here to stay, with van Veen vowing to channel the heartbreak into his next final push.
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