Asian Tour Round-Up: Man Lok Leung headlines PDC Asian Tour 2026 opening weekend as Japan dominate
PDCMonday, 26 January 2026 at 10:00
The opening weekend of the 2026 PDC Asian Tour delivered a clear early pattern, as Japan asserted control across four tournaments in Dubai, with Man Lok Leung emerging as the headline act on Sunday after a title-winning run that added another layer to an already eventful start to the season.
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After Saturday had belonged entirely to Haruki Muramatsu, who swept the first two events, Sunday brought fresh winners while still reinforcing Japan’s strength at the top end of the Asian circuit.
Leung delivers Sunday breakthrough in Event Three
The third tournament of the weekend was claimed by Leung, the Hong Kong thrower navigating a competitive draw before sealing the title with a 5–3 victory over Alain Abiabi in the final.
Leung has already shown his ability to compete on the sport’s biggest stages in recent years, and his Dubai success represents a valuable early haul of ranking points in a season where consistency across multiple weekends will be decisive.
Abiabi’s run to the final again highlighted the Philippines’ growing presence on the Asian Tour, with several players pushing deep into the latter stages across the weekend.
Arihara ensures Japanese control continues in Event Four
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The final tournament of the opening block returned the spotlight to Japan, though this time it was Ryuta Arihara rather than Muramatsu who lifted the trophy.
Arihara edged a tight final against Christian Perez, prevailing 5–4 to close out the weekend and ensure Japan claimed three of the four titles on offer in Dubai.
Perez, a familiar name on the international stage with past appearances at the World Darts Championship and World Cup of Darts, once again showed his experience by progressing deep into the draw before narrowly missing out on silverware.
Perez lost out in the final of event four
Four events completed, early hierarchy begins to form
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With four of the 28 scheduled Asian Tour events now completed, the opening weekend has already underlined both Japan’s depth and the competitive pressure coming from across the region.
Further details on the next block of Asian Tour tournaments have yet to be confirmed, but the early narrative is clear. Japan lead the way, new contenders are emerging, and the race for ranking points is already taking shape.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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