"I was keen to show everyone that I can still do it" - Gian van Veen stuns Michael Smith at Dutch Darts Masters

Gian van Veen pulled off a shock in the opening round of the Dutch Darts Masters. The 21-year-old Dutchman defeated former world champion Michael Smith 6-3.

Both Smith and Van Veen remained below their best. "It was indeed not super, I expected more from it," Van Veen reflected post-match to Darts Actueel. "In the practice room, however, it went super, but on the stage it was a lot less. Fortunately, Michael didn't reach his best level either and I did enough to get the win."

For Van Veen, it was his first official match since the disappointing World Championships, where he suffered a first round exit. "I was keen to show everyone that I can still do it. It is an important tournament because it is close to home, but on the other hand it is not a ranking tournament, so it is ideal to test out a few things."

This is how Van Veen throws new darts. "If it's up to me this will be it for the rest of the year, I have a very good feeling about them," he says.

A duel with Danny Noppert awaits in the quarterfinals. "That will be a special match, after all Danny is a good friend and on the Pro Tour we often stay together. He was sublime in his opening match against Nathan Aspinall, hopefully I can raise my level as well, then it will be a great match."