DISCUSSION | International Darts Open: Can Ross Smith kick on after maiden European Tour title? Was it another missed opportunity for Van Gerwen and Van Veen?

Ross Smith finally broke his European Tour duct in the International Darts Open after completing a very comprehensive 8-3 win over Ryan Searle in the final.

After falling short in four previous finals, including the European Darts Grand Prix this year, ‘Smudger’ has managed to break new ground in triumphant fashion. He has now won a title on the floor, European Tour and major level as he puts himself in an exclusive club.

It was more disappointment for Searle in the final, while there were other storylines being written in Riesa. The top seeds Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen failed to make an impact as other talents shone in the race for the World Matchplay. Rob Cross, Cameron Menzies and Damon Heta are all notable winners in this category while an abject Dave Chisnall continues to struggle.

Lucas Michael, Editor for Dartsnews.com, was pleased to see Ross Smith get over the line as he delved deeper into the World Matchplay race as Blackpool looms.

Ross Smith…. finally! Once one of the best and most accomplished players without a Euro Tour title, he has finally managed to conjure up the goods and put himself among an established group of darters. A serial winner, I get the feeling that this could be the start of a fruitful period for ‘Smudger.’

When at his best, he will give anyone a headache, and the treble 20 bed a lot of pain. The problem is that we do not see it on a regular basis. His best form comes in spurts or tournaments before falling back into the pack, almost irrelevancy at times. He can be a serious top 10 player and this title in Riesa confirms it, but to be frankly honest he needs to find more consistency.

Another big name has left the ‘no European Tour title’ club. Ryan Searle is one of the vocal points in this cluster of darters. Another final has come and gone where we have not seen the best of him. Other examples include Chris Dobey and Gian van Veen. ‘Hollywood’ has been around for so long it is exceptional how he has not converted at least one run into silverware. Van Veen’s time will come, sooner or later is the question. Others include Danny Noppert, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Andrew Gilding. If I had to predict who will be the next player to break their duct, I would say van Veen will get over the line near the end of the year.

The World Matchplay race is hotting up. It was a weekend where the big names cemented their spots in the top 16, although they will be looking over their shoulders. Rob Cross and Damon Heta made it to Sunday. ‘Voltage’ especially was very opportunistic having not even qualified for the event. Both players sit 15th and 16th in the ProTour Order of Merit while a run to the semi-final for Cameron Menzies extends the gap. The likes of Kim Huybrechts, Karel Sedlacek and Sebastian Bialecki lose ground.

A word on Menzies as well would be suitable. A first semi-final on the European Tour looked extremely bleak after trailing both Josh Rock and James Wade 4-0. A past ‘Cammy’ would have thrown in the towel with a whimper, but this is a different Menzies. The improvement with his attitude and mentality on stage may not show at times (PDC World Darts Championship against Charlie Manby for example) but he is treading in the right direction. On the other hand, it could all come crumbling down with another angry outburst. For the time being, Menzies is improving and his spot in the World Matchplay is looking slightly more likely now.

Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com, believed the top Dutch darters missed a golden opportunity, specifically the number one and two seeds Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen.

What an opportunity the Dutch contingent, and especially Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen, let slip in their bid to claim a European Tour title. A number of top names were already absent in Riesa, while several major contenders crashed out early in the tournament. Van Gerwen has now gone more than a year without lifting a European Tour trophy and looked like one of the clear favourites after his 6-3 victory over Damon Heta in the last 16. However, ‘Mighty Mike’ then produced a disappointing quarter-final display against Ross Smith, eventually falling 6-5 to the Englishman.

Van Veen, meanwhile, finally managed to get back to winning ways on the European Tour with a 6-3 success over Connor Scutt in the last 32. He followed that up with an outstanding performance against Kevin Doets in the last 16, cruising to a 6-2 win while averaging 103.51. But against Ryan Searle, Van Veen once again struggled to find his rhythm, and Searle capitalised to secure a comfortable 6-3 victory.

With Searle, Smith, Rob Cross and Cameron Menzies all still standing, the chances of seeing a brand-new European Tour winner were already high. That became a certainty after Searle edged past Cross 7-6 in a dramatic semi-final. Cross nevertheless boosted his hopes in the qualification race for the World Matchplay with his run to the semi-finals. Menzies also fell short. The Scot had reached his maiden European Tour semi-final after defeating James Wade 6-4, but was then blown away 7-0 by Smith.

That left two Englishmen facing off in a final between players who had never previously won a European Tour event. Searle had lost one European Tour final before, while Smith had suffered defeat in four. It was not a classic final by any means, but the tournament still crowned a deserving and popular winner in Smith. After already collecting a major title and multiple Players Championship crowns, ‘Smudger’ has finally added that long-awaited European Tour title to his résumé.

Oliver Ried, Editor for DartsNews.DE, touched on the disappointing showing by German players while believing the crowd were ‘unusually quiet.’

I am especially happy for Ross Smith. Alongside Ryan Searle, he had long been one of those players who, despite their huge talent, had never managed to win a European Tour title. He fully deserved this success, even if he did not produce his best performance in the final. But that is what great players are all about: sometimes you do not need your very best game to win a title.

Once again, the unfortunate runner-up was Ryan Searle. Still, he should take a lot of confidence from this weekend. Hopefully, this tournament also showed him that hard work and practice do pay off in the end.

Other big winners were Rob Cross and Cameron Menzies. Their runs to the semi-finals were massive steps towards World Matchplay qualification. Before the tournament, I certainly did not expect Cameron Menzies to reach the last four. Meanwhile, Rob Cross seems to be slowly finding his old form again. When the 2018 world champion is at his best, he is a joy to watch.

Menzies survived three match darts against Michael Unterbuchner, but after that he looked composed, clinical, and mentally strong. Ryan Joyce also impressed once again. After a very poor start to 2026, he has finally rediscovered his best form over the past few weeks.

For Ricardo Pietreczko, these victories were a huge confidence boost. Almost nothing had gone right for him in recent weeks. With an adjusted throwing action, he gave both the German fans and himself hope that things are finally moving in the right direction again. He also made it clear that he wants to stand alongside Martin Schindler at the World Cup. For his fighting spirit and willingness to step on stage and perform despite a difficult period, Pietreczko deserves enormous respect.

Among the disappointments was once again Dave Chisnall. A heavy 0-6 defeat with an 82 average likely means he could miss the World Matchplay for the first time since 2010. Daryl Gurney also endured another frustrating evening. His 2-6 defeat against Kim Huybrechts could easily have been even more one-sided. His performances are becoming increasingly inconsistent.

The crowd in Riesa remained fair throughout the weekend, but in my opinion it felt unusually quiet. Especially during the matches involving German players, the atmosphere did not seem as passionate as at other events. Overall, German darts disappointed somewhat this weekend as well. Apart from Pietreczko, only Martin Schindler managed to record a victory.