Michael van Gerwen’s campaign at the Flanders Darts Trophy came to an abrupt end in Antwerp after a nail‑biting second‑round encounter with Australia’s Damon Heta. The match was a perfect illustration of how thin the margins can be in professional darts – neither competitor managed to break the opponent’s throw until the very last leg.
Heta, who had secured the decisive bull‑off, kept his composure under intense pressure and ultimately edged the Dutch star 6‑5, earning a spot in the Sunday finals day. The victory marked the second time in just 24 hours that Heta survived a deciding leg. The previous night he had halted the progress of 22‑year‑old Beau Greaves, also winning 6‑5.
Greaves entered that match riding the momentum of her historic triumph in Prague, where she became the first woman to claim a win on the European Tour. Despite her talent, she was unable to extend that breakthrough and fell short against Heta’s steady play. The evening also produced a standout performance from Nathan Aspinall, who dominated Niko Springer 6‑1 while posting an impressive average just under 106. After the match Aspinall reflected on his form, saying, "I saw a stat that said I've been playing the fourth best for a couple of months, so tonight I tried not to put pressure on myself and enjoy it.
I finished really well, scored really well, gave the crowd something to cheer about and happy days – onto tomorrow!" His relaxed mindset clearly paid dividends, and his high scoring set a benchmark for the rest of the tournament. In the same session, rising Dutch talent Luke Littler was highlighted in several headlines, with analysts debating what the world No. 1 would need to achieve a clean sweep of the major darts titles in 2026.
Meanwhile, the World Series of Darts Finals continued to generate buzz, featuring match‑ups such as Michael van Gerwen versus Daryl Gurney and the early‑round successes of Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen. The schedule also previewed upcoming events, including the 2026 World Grand Prix, which will see both Luke Littler and Luke Humphries vying for the title. Wessel Nijman closed the night on a high note, opening his leg with a perfect 170 checkout before cruising to a 6‑4 win over Sebastian Bialecki, securing his place at another European Tour finals day.
Top seed Gian van Veen also advanced comfortably, dispatching Gabriel Clemens 6‑3 and ending the German’s hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix. The race for qualification to the Grand Prix, which concludes in Antwerp, saw several notable exits. Brendan Dolan’s aspirations were crushed by Stephen Bunting in a tight 6‑5 battle, while Martin Schindler’s last‑ditch effort unraveled after he posted an average of 84.67 in a 6‑4 defeat to former world champion Rob Cross. Cross capitalised on a missed 60 by Schindler to seal the win.
In the afternoon session, Kevin Doets survived a match dart to defeat Krzysztof Ratajski 6‑5. Ratajski had built a 4‑1 lead, but Doets rallied, winning two consecutive legs to level at 4‑4 before forcing a deciding leg where his steady hand on the double 10 earned him the victory. Other qualifiers that day included Danny Noppert, Ryan Searle, Chris Dobey, Ross Smith, Jermaine Wattimena and Luke Woodhouse. Dobey was particularly impressive, dropping only a single leg against Niels Zonneveld, while Woodhouse secured a 6‑3 win over William O’Connor.
Friday’s action had already seen the elimination of Dirk van Duijvenbode, who fell 6‑3 to Brendan Dolan, and Joe Cullen, who was beaten 6‑3 by Belgian qualifier Andy Baetens. Home favourite Kim Huybrechts also suffered heartbreak, losing a deciding leg to Sebastian Bialecki after a rousing walk‑on that had the Antwerp crowd on its feet. The tournament schedule for the remaining days is packed with high‑stakes matches.
On Saturday, September 12, the afternoon session (12:00 BST) featured Kevin Doets versus Krzysztof Ratajski (6‑5), Jermaine Wattimena versus Karel Sedlacek (6‑3), Rob Cross versus Martin Schindler (6‑4), and a series of other qualifiers. The evening session (18:00 BST) saw the likes of Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price, James Wade and the headline clash between Michael van Gerwen and Damon Heta, which ended 5‑6 in Heta’s favour. Sunday, September 13, will host the third round in the afternoon (13:00 local time, 12:00 BST) with match‑ups such as Gian van Veen versus Kevin Doets and Gerwyn Price versus Ross Smith.
The evening session (19:00 local time, 18:00 BST) will progress through quarter‑finals, semi‑finals and culminate in the final. For darts fans, Sky Sports remains the primary broadcaster, delivering live coverage of the World Grand Prix (September 28‑October 4), the Grand Slam of Darts (November 14‑22) and the World Darts Championship (December 10‑January 3). Viewers can also stream matches via NOW without a contract, ensuring that the excitement of the sport remains accessible to a global audience. Overall, the Flanders Darts Trophy has already produced a series of dramatic moments, surprise upsets and standout performances.
Damon Heta’s resilience in back‑to‑back deciding legs, Nathan Aspinall’s near‑perfect scoring, and the continued emergence of young talents like Luke Littler all point to a thrilling second half of the tournament and set the stage for an exhilarating conclusion in Antwerp.