Gian van Veen wins strong-field DartPraat Open in Mariahout

Gian van Veen has once again etched his name on the DartPraat Open roll of honor. The Dutch PDC professional was the strongest on Friday evening during the tournament’s second edition and successfully defended his title. In the final, just like in 2024, he overcame Niels Zonneveld.

The tournament, linked to the DartPraat podcast, took place this year at the Oranjebar in Mariahout. That meant a move from the original venue in Oirschot to a new stage, but even in the new setting interest remained high.

A total of 130 players appeared at the oche, hailing from all over the Netherlands and also from Belgium. Shortly after 8:00 PM, the group phase got underway, played across 33 groups, mostly consisting of four players. In the 501 format, best of 5 legs, they battled for a place in the knockout phase.

The top two players from each group advanced to the main event, while the remaining participants continued in the losers’ bracket. Around 11:30 PM the group phase concluded and the switch was made to the knockout draw.

Several familiar names fell at the first hurdle in the opening elimination rounds. Jimmy van Schie, Jelle Klaasen, and Alexander Merkx went out in the last 64.

One round later it was also the end of the road for Benito van de Pas. He was knocked out by Jermaine Wattimena, who thus removed one of the favorites from the tournament.

In the winners’ bracket, two established PDC players were left standing once more. Gian van Veen and Niels Zonneveld, who had already met in the group phase, faced each other again in the final.

Once more, Van Veen came out on top. He sealed the decider 5-3 in his favor, securing his second consecutive overall victory. In the final, Van Veen averaged 102.00, compared to 95.51 for Zonneveld.