International Darts Open 2026 Roundup | Ross Smith ends long European Tour wait with emotional first title in Riesa after Ryan Searle final

Ross Smith finally ended his wait for a European Tour title on Sunday night, beating Ryan Searle 8-3 in the final of the 2026 International Darts Open in Riesa.

The former European Champion had lost four previous European Tour finals, but there was no repeat of that frustration this time. Smith took control during the middle stages of the final, punished Searle’s missed chances and sealed the biggest moment of his Euro Tour career on double 10 before throwing his remaining darts to the floor in an emotional celebration.

Smith averaged 90.81 in the final, narrowly ahead of Searle’s 90.11, but the key difference came in the pressure moments.

Both players had arrived in the final still chasing a first European Tour crown. By the end of the night, Smith had finally crossed that line.

Ryan Searle’s place in the final was built on two pressure finishes rather than a smooth procession. His quarter-final against Gian van Veen turned on the big moments, with Searle answering an early Van Veen hold by taking out 149 and later breaking at the key stage of the match. Van Veen briefly hit back, but Searle punished a missed bull for an 86 checkout and then closed out the 6-3 win with a two-dart 85 finish on tops.

His semi-final against Rob Cross then became the match of the evening. Searle looked to have created the decisive gap, but Cross kept dragging himself back with a remarkable run of finishing. Checkouts of 126, 130, 164 and then a 170 finish forced a deciding leg, putting Searle under huge pressure after earlier missing the chance to move 5-2 clear. When his own chance came in the last leg, Searle found the response, taking out 130 on the bullseye to win 7-6.

Ross Smith’s route began with a dramatic quarter-final win over Michael van Gerwen. Smith started superbly, landing a 108 finish and moving 4-0 clear before Van Gerwen worked his way back into the match. The pressure rose sharply when Smith missed four match darts at 5-4, allowing Van Gerwen to force a deciding leg, but the Englishman recovered in time and finished a two-dart 68 on double 4 to complete a 6-5 victory.

Smith then produced the most one-sided semi-final of the night against Cameron Menzies. A 146 checkout in the opening leg set the tone, and from there Smith punished almost every missed opportunity from the Scot. He added a 70 finish to move 4-0 ahead, pinned double 16 for 5-0 and never let Menzies into the contest, completing a ruthless 7-0 whitewash to move into the final.

With both players carrying the weight of previous near misses in European Tour finals, Smith settled fastest. He held throw in the opening leg with a 72 checkout on double 16 before Searle responded on double 10 to make it 1-1.

The first signs of pressure arrived in the third leg. Smith missed three clear darts at double 8 and almost paid the price when Searle threatened a 140 finish, only for the final dart at double 20 to narrowly miss. Smith returned to clean up and retake the lead.

That reprieve quickly became the first decisive shift of the final. Searle missed two darts in the fourth leg and Smith stepped in to break for 3-1. Heavy Metal hit back immediately with a clean 60 finish in two darts, but the momentum did not last.

Smith took a calculated route in the sixth leg, choosing to lay up from 161 despite Searle waiting on 133. The decision paid off when Searle could not get his finish going, allowing Smith to pin double 8 and restore a two-leg cushion at 4-2.

Another key moment followed. Searle missed bull for a 132 finish, Smith missed tops for an 80 checkout, and Searle then failed to clean up 25. Given a second chance, Smith made no mistake on double 10 to move 5-2 clear.

Searle briefly narrowed the gap after Smith missed four darts around double 16 and double 8, but Smith responded immediately to move 6-3 ahead. A 60 finish then put him one leg away, prompting a huge roar from the former European Champion as the title finally came within touching distance.

There was no late twist. Smith returned to the board in the next leg and pinned double 10 to complete an 8-3 victory, ending his European Tour final heartbreak at the fifth attempt.

For Searle, it was another painful near miss after a superb run through finals night. For Smith, it was the end of a long wait, a first European Tour title and an emotional Riesa triumph built on resilience, timing and one final composed dart at double 10.