VAN VEEN WINS MAIDEN PDC RANKING TITLE

By Aaron Nijjar 

GIAN van Veen claimed his first PDC ranking title as he beat Luke Humphries 8-3 in the Players Championship Six final.  

It’s been a fantastic couple of days for Van Veen who has reached back-to-back finals on the ProTour in Leicester. 

‘The Giant’s’ standout performance of the tournament came in a 7-1 demolition against Madars Razma in the semi-final where he averaged 103.34 and hit a stellar 116 checkout.  

World Youth Champion Van Veen averaged above 96 during his first six matches, only dropping 14 legs in the process, to set up a showdown with world number one Luke Humphries. 

After taking the opening two legs in 18 darts, there was no stopping Van Veen, especially once he went 4-1 ahead, as ‘Cool Hand’ struggled to find an answer. 

Although his best leg in the final was 13 darts, the 22-year-old’s consistency was too much for Humphries as he secured the biggest win of his career to date. 

The Dutchman revealed he was devasted to finish as runner-up in the Players Championship Five after he squandered SIX match darts against Joe Cullen, but victory today has uplifted his spirit.  

He said: “I felt hard done by yesterday. I was heart broke. But to make it right today is unbelievable.  

“Yesterday making the final and beating players like Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler is amazing.  

“But to miss six match darts to take my maiden title I was heartbroken. I think I never felt so angry after a game.  

“To make it today is unbelievable again. To play Luke Humphries in the final I knew it was going to be tough.  

“He let me in a couple of times and I took my chances. I’m just really happy today.” 

He added: “I think it’s massive for me to get over the line and know what it feels like to win one of these titles.  

“It gives me confidence heading into the rest of the season. 

“I was number 25 in the world. The highest ranked player without picking up a title.  

“So, I really felt the pressure. But now it feels really good.” 

Van Veen moves into 24th place in the PDC Order of Merit.  

Elsewhere, Luke Littler would bow out at the second-round stage on this occasion. 

The five-time major winner had edged out Alan Soutar – who hit a nine-dart leg – by a 6-5 scoreline in his opening game before losing by the same margin to Dom Taylor, despite averaging a remarkable 104.22. 

Michael van Gerwen also lost in the last 64, succumbing to a 6-5 defeat at the hands of Ryan Meikle. 

Razma was the surprise performer of the day, reaching the last four with wins over the likes of Michael Smith, Gary Anderson and Stephen Bunting.  

Image by Taylor Lanning.