Michael van Gerwen's campaign at the Flanders Darts Trophy came to an abrupt end after a nail‑biting encounter with Australian contender Damon Heta in Antwerp. The match, which unfolded in the second round, was decided on a sudden‑death leg, with neither player conceding a single leg on the opponent's throw. Heta, who had secured the crucial bull‑off earlier in the game, kept his composure under pressure and edged the Dutch star 6‑5, securing his spot in the finals scheduled for Sunday.
This victory marked the second time in a 24‑hour period that Heta survived a deciding leg. Just the night before, he had halted the progress of 22‑year‑old Beau Greaves, also by a 6‑5 margin. Greaves, fresh from a historic triumph in Prague where she became the first woman to claim a match win on the European Tour, was unable to extend that momentum, and Heta's clutch performance added another dramatic chapter to his own rising profile.
The evening also featured a standout performance from Nathan Aspinall, who dominated Niko Springer with a 6‑1 scoreline and posted an average just shy of 106. "It was a great performance," Aspinall remarked afterward. "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 strongly, scored well, gave the crowd something to cheer about and happy days – onto tomorrow!" The World Series of Darts Finals continued to generate buzz, with Luke Littler overcoming a vocal crowd to defeat Danny Noppert, while Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall also recorded victories. Headlines highlighted Littler's resilience amid boos in Amsterdam and speculated on what the world No. 1 would need to achieve a clean sweep of the major darts titles in 2026. Wessel Nijman closed the night on a high note, opening his match with a perfect 170 checkout and then prevailing 6‑4 over Sebastian Bialecki, guaranteeing his place at another European Tour finals event.
Top seed Gian van Veen also advanced, beating Gabriel Clemens 6‑3 and effectively ending the German's hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix. The race for qualification, which culminates in Antwerp, saw several notable exits. Brendan Dolan's aspirations were dashed after a 6‑5 loss to Stephen Bunting, while Martin Schindler's last‑ditch effort fell short when he averaged 84.67 in a 6‑4 defeat to Rob Cross.
The former world champion seized the opportunity after Schindler missed a crucial 60 finish. In another tight contest, Kevin Doets survived a match dart to edge Krzysztof Ratajski 6‑5.
Ratajski had built a 4‑1 lead, only for Doets to rally, winning two legs on the spin and then forcing a decider by taking double 10. The Dutchman, known for his steady hand, held his nerve in the final leg.
The afternoon qualifiers also featured Danny Noppert, Ryan Searle, Chris Dobey, Ross Smith, Jermaine Wattimena and Luke Woodhouse. Dobey dropped just one leg in his match against Niels Zonneveld, while Woodhouse dispatched William O'Connor 6‑3. Friday's action had already seen Dirk van Duijvenbode eliminated by Brendan Dolan (6‑3) and Joe Cullen fall to Belgian qualifier Andy Baetens (6‑3).
Local favourite Kim Huybrechts suffered a heartbreaking defeat in a deciding leg to Sebastian Bialecki after a walk‑on that riled the Antwerp crowd. The tournament schedule continued with a packed lineup for Saturday, September 12. In the afternoon session (12:00 BST), Kevin Doets faced Krzysztof Ratajski, Jermaine Wattimena took on Karel Sedlacek, Rob Cross met Martin Schindler, Danny Noppert played Chris Landman, Ryan Searle faced Andy Baetens, Chris Dobey battled Niels Zonneveld, Luke Woodhouse met William O'Connor, and Ross Smith clashed with Jeffrey de Graaf. The evening session (18:00 BST) saw Josh Rock against Ryan Joyce, Gerwyn Price versus Bradley Brooks, James Wade versus Jim Long, Gian van Veen versus Gabriel Clemens, Michael van Gerwen versus Damon Heta (a 5‑6 upset), Nathan Aspinall versus Niko Springer (6‑1), Stephen Bunting versus Brendan Dolan (6‑5), and Wessel Nijman versus Sebastian Bialecki (6‑4).
Sunday, September 13, will host the third round in the afternoon (13:00 local time, 12:00 BST) with matchups such as Gian van Veen versus Kevin Doets, Ryan Searle versus Chris Dobey, Ryan Joyce versus Jermaine Wattimena, Gerwyn Price versus Ross Smith, James Wade versus Rob Cross, Danny Noppert versus Wessel Nijman, Damon Heta versus Luke Woodhouse, and Stephen Bunting versus Nathan Aspinall. The evening session (19:00 local time, 18:00 BST) will feature the quarter‑finals, semi‑finals and the final. Sky Sports remains the primary broadcaster for darts, covering upcoming marquee events such as the World Grand Prix (28 September–4 October), the Grand Slam of Darts (14–22 November) and the World Darts Championship (10 December–3 January). Fans can stream all action, along with additional sports content, via NOW without a contract.