Up to three times, Doets took a break lead against "The Heat," including after a fine 99 finish in the seventh leg. However, Doets did not capitalize on the break and was broken again after a 13-darter by Heta. Doets had chances in the tenth leg to force a deciding leg, but he missed five chances at 5-5. Heta then finished it off with a 20-darter.
Gian van Veen came up against a rock-solid Stephen Bunting, who posted an average of 105.66 and a finishing percentage of 60 percent. The Dutchman could not withstand that and the win went 6-1 to the Englishman.
Like alluded to, Dimitri van den Bergh also won through. He had an exciting match with two-time world champion Gary Anderson. An important moment in that match was the eighth leg, in which Van den Bergh missed two chances to cash in on his break. Instead of 5-3 it became 4-4, after which Van den Bergh held twice to win the match 6-5.
Mario Vandenbogaerde recorded a victory over Matt Campbell. 'Super Mario' took the first three legs of the game after, among other things, a 110 finish and a 13-darter. Campbell brought the deficit back to 2-4 by throwing out 122 and 157, but then again struggled to find the treble. This allowed Vandenbogaerde to put a 6-2 final score on the scoreboard with two 18-darters.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.