VAN VEEN HAPPY AFTER UK OPEN
04/03/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar
GIAN VAN VEEN is full of confidence after reaching the quarter-final of the UK Open.
The Dutchman KO’d Nick Kenny, Stephen Burton and Damon Heta.
World No.25 Van Veen hit a glorious 110 average and 10 out of 13 doubles to beat ‘The Heat’ in round six.
But Van Veen met his match in the last eight when he faced Luke Littler who went on to win the major.
Reigning World champion Littler hit a 107.30 average and seven 180’s in a 10-7 victory.
Reflecting on his loss to ‘The Nuke’, Van Veen said: “In the beginning he [Luke Littler] still made a few mistakes on his doubles, but especially at the end there was nothing I can do at all.
“In the beginning my scoring didn’t go the way I wanted, afterwards I got into my rhythm.
“But sometimes I was on a double after twelve darts and still he threw everything out. That’s bummer of course.”
He added: “Luke constantly puts you under pressure.
“That was also the case in my match against Damon Heta, but less so, where you get more chances.
“If you throw a 60 score against Luke, he immediately punishes you with a 140 or a 180.”
Still, the positive feeling prevails for Van Veen as he reflects on the tournament as a whole.
He said: “Beforehand I would have always signed up for a quarterfinal place.
“When I saw the draw, I obviously knew I had to go full steam ahead.
“I had hoped to repeat my level from against Heta, but unfortunately that didn’t work out.
“Still, this was a very nice tournament, I can move forward with this.”
‘The Giant’ had a stellar 2023 campaign reaching the semi-final of the European Championship.
Van Veen then followed this up by winning the World Youth Championship last year and reaching the quarter-final of the Grand Slam.
The 22-year-old is a huge talent and is on the cusp of winning his first PDC ProTour title having reached a Players Championship final in 2023 and a Euro Tour final last year.
Image by Kieran Cleeves.
