Humphries Stunned by Van Duijvenbode in Hungarian Darts Trophy Upset

Luke Humphries endured an unexpected 6‑3 loss to Dirk van Duijvenbode in the second round of the Hungarian Darts Trophy, seeing the tournament favourite bow out of the Budapest venue on Saturday night. With Luke Littler absent from the event, the world No. 2 entered the competition as the clear frontrunner.

He arrived in top form after clinching the Players Championship in Leicester earlier in the week, and many expected him to cruise through to the finals after his March triumph at the Belgian Darts Open. Instead, his first European Tour appearance since that victory ended a day before the scheduled finals. Van Duijvenbode, who reached the semi‑finals of the World Matchplay earlier in the summer, delivered the decisive blow with a spectacular 140 checkout on a tops‑tops finish, pulling within a leg of victory before finally sealing his spot on Sunday’s Finals Day. The win also snapped a nine‑match losing streak he had suffered against the world No.

2, as the Dutchman rattled off four straight legs after trailing 3‑2 and posted an impressive average of 98. "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 circuit. "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 rallied from a 3‑1 deficit to defeat James Hurrell 6‑4, keeping his hopes alive for a second Hungarian Darts Trophy crown and booking a place in Sunday’s finals.

He will meet Nathan Aspinall in the last‑16 after Aspinall overcame Ryan Joyce 6‑4 despite being out‑averaged, hitting five 180s and converting a higher volume of double chances to advance as the 15th seed. Gian van Veen produced a dominant display, whitewashing Hungarian qualifier Nandor Major 6‑0 while missing just three darts at a double and finishing with a flawless 167 checkout. Northern Irish hopeful Josh Rock also recorded a 6‑0 win, dispatching an off‑form Joe Cullen.

Fourth seed Jonny Clayton overcame local favourite Laszlo Kadar, who had stunned Daryl Gurney on Friday, by 6‑3. Keane Barry surged back into the spotlight, stringing together five consecutive legs to beat Madars Razma 6‑2 and reach his first European Tour finals day in three years – although Razma left Budapest with the night’s most spectacular checkout, a 158 finish on the bull. The tournament already made history earlier in the weekend when Beau Greaves became the first woman to compete in a European Tour event. She pushed 2018 world champion Rob Cross to a deciding leg before narrowly losing 6‑5.

Cross needed a second successive last‑leg escape, surviving two 136 finishes and missing match darts from Luke Woodhouse before clinching the win with a 130 bullseye checkout – a day after his dramatic decider against Greaves. Defending champion Niko Springer saw his reign end abruptly as Ryan Searle beat him 6‑4 in a match that lasted just 14 minutes. Searle hit a 121 bullseye break on his way through, while Springer’s final chance was a missed bull for a 164 checkout that would have forced a tie. Gary Anderson announced his arrival with a statement performance, delivering his first European Tour victory of 2026 in style.

The two‑time world champion posted a 105.27 average in a 6‑2 demolition of Krzysztof Ratajski. Dave Chisnall also posted a ton‑plus average, eliminating 13th seed Wessel Nijman 6‑2. Chris Dobey rallied from 4‑0 down to edge Tom Sykes 6‑5, keeping his quest for a maiden European Tour title alive. Ross Smith posted an average above 101 as he dispatched William O’Connor 6‑2.

Jermaine Wattimena carried the momentum from his Leicester title into a 6‑4 win over Andrew Gilding, while Danny Noppert survived six missed match darts before edging Ritchie Edhouse 6‑4. The schedule for Sunday, August 30, afternoon session (12 pm) featured: 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.

The Saturday, August 29 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 outlast Niko Springer 6‑4, Rob Cross edge Luke Woodhouse 6‑5, Gary Anderson dominate Krzysztof Ratajski 6‑2, and Chris Dobey edge 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 Laszlo Kadar, Keane Barry’s 6‑2 triumph over Madars Razma, van Duijvenbode’s 6‑3 defeat of Humphries, Michael 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 over Ryan Joyce, and Josh Rock’s 6‑0 demolition of Joe Cullen. Friday, August 28 first‑round afternoon action featured Jonas Masalin beating Kevin Doets 6‑4, Andrew Gilding’s 6‑0 win over Milan Biro, Ritchie Edhouse’s 6‑1 victory over Connor Scutt, Niko Springer’s 6‑1 triumph over Maik Kuivenhoven, William O’Connor defeating Samuel Price 6‑2, Keane Barry beating Martin Schindler 6‑2, Ryan Joyce’s 6‑3 win over Cristo Reyes, Dave Chisnall’s 6‑3 victory over Andras Borbely, and the evening session saw van Duijvenbode’s 6‑1 win over David Pisek, Laszlo Kadar’s 6‑5 upset of Daryl Gurney, Krzysztof Ratajski’s 6‑5 win over Callan Rydz, Joe Cullen’s 6‑3 defeat of Adam Leek, Rob Cross’s 6‑5 win over Beau Greaves, Nandor Major’s 6‑5 win over Niels Zonneveld, Tom Sykes’ 6‑1 victory over Cameron Menzies, and James Hurrell’s 6‑5 win over Damon Heta.

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 follow the entire event live on Sky Sports, with streaming options available through NOW without a contract.