Poland Darts Open Sunday evening Round-up | Luke Littler fends off nine-dart hero Gian van Veen to become first ever champion in Krakow

48 players made the expedition out to Krakow with one goal in mind: to become the inaugural winner of the Poland Darts Open. The world number one Luke Littler continued to stamp his authority on darts as he overcame a nine-darter from Gian van Veen in the final to storm away and win 8-4 while averaging over 108.

It was the fourth time the PDC came to Poland, and first time it is a ranking event with the players and fans enjoying this new Euro Tour competition which kicks off another season of action-packed drama in numerous countries around Europe.

The final was a rematch of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship in which Littler produced the goods to win 7-1 and win a second world title. He was looking to prevent van Veen from winning his first Euro Tour title while winning the first event in the year for the third consecutive year.

Littler began the final with a 14-dart hold as he took out 61 in two, showing his intentional. Van Veen shared his instantly after with a very clutch 112 checkout on double 16. ‘The Nuke’ regained his lead quickly after with a 12-dart hold before a first maximum for van Veen motored him ahead in the leg as he secured a fourth hold on the spin.

This would all change in the best fashion possible. Littler had got down to a double in nine and forced van Veen to take out 141. Two 180’s had set up the world number three to this tantalising position. A seventh treble 20 is found as the crowd get to their feet. The chorus of cheers erupt as he finds the treble 19 before pinning double 12 to secure the perfect leg. The Polish fans went berserk as this remarkable moment was lapped up by van Veen who nailed the 23rd Euro Tour nine darter at a crucial time.

Going back to the match, he was a break in front. However, Littler was motivated and prepared to charge. He was left on 141 ironically but could not take it out. Both players missed on the outer ring and Littler was the first to clean up and break instantly back.

The doubles were not at the absolute best that van Veen has been showing off over the past year. The reigning world champion accelerated away from his rival with another two legs on the spin. He took out 70 in two before uncharacteristically missed the big number before finishing on his favourite double 10.

It had been four legs since that brilliance from van Veen, and he was being left behind by a rampant Littler. He managed to close the gap to two legs as he searched for a way back into this final, but it was too much of an uphill task.

Littler almost moved within one leg of the match with a 138 on double 12. He came back to move 7-4 ahead before missing a first match dart on tops. Van Veen had the chance to prolong this match, but a couple of sketchy double attempts opened the door for Littler to close it out. His fourth match dart was plonked in the double 10 to seal a fifth Euro Tour title in just his third year of competing.

By his lofty standards, Littler has not been at the seismic level many darts fans have bee used to in terms of performances on the oche. He is outside the top four in the Premier League Darts in the premature stages, but this has been overshadowed by the fact that he won a second world title and the Winmau World Masters.

He was determined to be the first player to win the Poland Darts Open and win a title for the second time in the country, following on the Polish Darts Masters on the World Series back in 2024. He started his campaign in Krakow in fine form, getting another win over Mike De Decker while averaging a modest 113.84 while pinning all six doubles in a 6-1 victory.

His average did tumble down 13 points, but he still offered Ross Smith no chance, taking him down by a 6-2 scoreline. Josh Rock could have been a tough opponent in the quarterfinal but he did not come out with his best game and Littler swept him aside 6-1. He then boosted his average to 105.91 after putting on the afterburners to charge away from Chris Dobey in the semi-final to win 7-3 and book a coveted spot in the final, already his sixth in only his 14th Euro Tour participation while averaging over 104 for the tournament.

It is now four finals for van Veen who continues his imperious form as he cements his spot among the top players in the world. Finding a nice home among the pinnacle of darts, he was on the hunt for a maiden Euro Tour success to add to the European Championship title he collected last year.

His pathway to the final was much tighter than Littler’s. He began with round two action against Andrew Gilding who was a dangerous competitor. It went all the way to a final leg where the Dutchman managed to showcase his class and take down the former UK Open champion. He then pipped Nathan Aspinall by the same scoreline despite ‘The Asp’ averaging over a ton to seal his spot in the evening’s action.

He then produced his best performance of the weekend with a fantastic 107.5 average as he demolished Wessel Nijman to secure a sixth semi-final on the Euro Tour. Humphries was his opponent at this stage, and he was able to produce the goods once again against the world number two despite missing eight match darts in a hectic ending to what was a high-quality match, and a first win against the former world champion on the European stage.