Luke Humphries experienced a surprising 6-3 loss to Dirk van Duijvenbode in the second round of the Hungarian Darts Trophy, ending the tournament favourite's run in Budapest on Saturday night. With Luke Littler absent from the event, the world No. 2 entered as the clear favorite, fresh off a victory at the Players Championship in Leicester earlier in the week. However, his first European Tour appearance since clinching the Belgian Darts Open title in March concluded a day before the finals.
Van Duijvenbode, who reached the semi‑finals of the World Matchplay earlier in the summer, delivered a decisive flourish when he hit a 140 finish on a double‑top to bring himself within a leg of victory, before sealing the win and booking a place in Sunday's finals day. The triumph also snapped a nine‑match losing streak van Duijvenbode had endured against the world No. 2; the Dutchman surged ahead with four straight legs after trailing 2‑3 and posted an impressive 98 average.
"Luke is a phenomenal player, but I think I'm okay as well," van Duijvenbode said, noting his status as a three‑time runner‑up on the European Tour. "I'm happier in life at the moment. I've had a lot of struggles, but I feel better, life is better and I'm getting better now hopefully." In other action, Michael van Gerwen recovered from a 3‑1 deficit to defeat James Hurrell 6‑4, keeping his hopes alive for a second Hungarian Darts Trophy crown and securing his spot on the finals day roster.
The tournament also featured a host of notable matches. Van Gerwen will meet Nathan Aspinall in the last‑16 after Aspinall edged Ryan Joyce 6‑4 despite being out‑averaged, hitting five 180s and capitalising on a higher volume of double opportunities to advance as the 15th seed.
Gian van Veen produced a dominant 6‑0 whitewash of Hungarian qualifier Nandor Major, missing only three darts at a double and finishing with a brilliant 167 checkout. Josh Rock mirrored that scoreline, overwhelming an off‑form Joe Cullen with a 6‑0 victory. Fourth seed Jonny Clayton overcame local hopeful László Kádár, who had stunned Daryl Gurney on Friday, winning 6‑3. Keane Barry surged back into the competition by running off five consecutive legs to beat Madars Razma 6‑2, marking his first European Tour finals appearance in three years; Razma, however, left Budapest with the night’s most spectacular checkout – a 158 finish on the bull.
The event made history earlier in the weekend when Beau Greaves became the first woman to compete in a European Tour event, pushing 2018 world champion Rob Cross to a deciding leg before losing 6‑5. Cross required a second consecutive last‑leg escape, surviving two 136 finishes and missed match darts from Luke Woodhouse before clinching the win with a 130 bullseye checkout, a day after his own nail‑biting decider against Greaves.
Defending champion Niko Springer saw his reign end quickly as Ryan Searle beat him 6‑4 in a 14‑minute match. Searle hit a 121 finish with a bullseye, while Springer’s final chance was a missed bull for a 164 checkout that would have forced a tie. Gary Anderson delivered a statement performance, recording his first European Tour victory of 2026 with a 6‑2 demolition of Krzysztof Ratajski while averaging 105.27.
Dave Chisnall also posted a ton‑plus average, eliminating 13th seed Wessel Nijman 6‑2. Chris Dobey rallied from 0‑4 down to defeat Tom Sykes 6‑5, keeping his maiden European Tour title within reach, and Ross Smith posted an over‑101 average in a 6‑2 win over William O'Connor. Jermaine Wattimena carried his Leicester title form into a 6‑4 victory over Andrew Gilding, and Danny Noppert survived six missed match darts before edging Ritchie Edhouse 6‑4.
The schedule for the final day (Sunday, August 30) featured afternoon match‑ups at 12 pm: Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Rob Cross, Michael van Gerwen vs Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith vs Jonny Clayton, Ryan Searle vs Danny Noppert, Stephen Bunting vs Gary Anderson, Chris Dobey vs Josh Rock, and Jermaine Wattimena vs Gian van Veen, followed by a night session of further clashes. Saturday’s second‑round afternoon session (12 pm) saw Ross Smith beat William O'Connor 6‑2, Dave Chisnall defeat Wessel Nijman 6‑2, Jermaine Wattimena overcome Andrew Gilding 6‑4, Danny Noppert beat Ritchie Edhouse 6‑4, Ryan Searle dispatch Niko Springer 6‑4, Rob Cross edge Luke Woodhouse 6‑5, Gary Anderson dominate Krzysztof Ratajski 6‑2, and Chris Dobey narrowly win over Tom Sykes 6‑5.
The evening session (6 pm) included Stephen Bunting’s 6‑1 win over Jonas Masalin, Jonny Clayton’s 6‑3 victory over László Kádár, Keane Barry’s 6‑2 triumph over Madars Razma, van Duijvenbode’s 6‑3 defeat of Humphries, van Gerwen’s 6‑4 win over James Hurrell, Gian van Veen’s 6‑0 whitewash of Nandor Major, Nathan Aspinall’s 6‑4 success against Ryan Joyce, and Josh Rock’s 6‑0 routing of Joe Cullen. Friday’s opening round (Afternoon, 12 pm) featured matches such as Jonas Masalin 6‑4 Kevin Doets, Andrew Gilding 6‑0 Milan Biro, Ritchie Edhouse 6‑1 Connor Scutt, Niko Springer 6‑1 Maik Kuivenhoven, William O'Connor 6‑2 Samuel Price, Keane Barry 6‑2 Martin Schindler, Ryan Joyce 6‑3 Cristo Reyes, Dave Chisnall 6‑3 András Borbély. The evening session saw van Duijvenbode thrash David Pisek 6‑1, Kádár edge Daryl Gurney 6‑5, Ratajski beat Callan Rydz 6‑5, Joe Cullen defeat Adam Leek 6‑3, Rob Cross overcome Adam Leek 6‑5, Beau Greaves lose to Nandor Major 6‑5, Niels Zonneveld fall to Tom Sykes 6‑1, Cameron Menzies lose to James Hurrell 6‑5, and Damon Heta bow out to an opponent.
Looking ahead, the BoyleSports World Grand Prix will take place from September 28 to October 4, with world No. 1 Luke Littler defending his title. Fans can watch the entire event live on Sky Sports or stream darts and other top sports without a contract.