Mio Varila seals breakthrough with first PDCNB title, also success for Darius Labanauskas

The PDC Nordic & Baltic weekend produced two winners. Mio Varila captured his very first title on the circuit on Sunday, while Darius Labanauskas underlined his class again a day earlier with yet another tournament win.

For Varila, it marked a breakthrough. The Finn impressed with powerful scoring and sealed it with the first Nordic & Baltic ProTour title of his career. In the final he was too strong for Cor Dekker, winning 6-3.

The performance did not come out of nowhere. Varila played at a high level throughout the tournament. In the last 64 he swept aside Niels Heinsøe 6-0. He then defeated Valters Melderis and Petri Rasmus. In the quarterfinals he showcased his best game again by not allowing compatriot Jani Haavisto a single leg: 6-0. Varila stayed in control in the semifinals as well. Against Johan Engström he quickly led 3-1 and never relinquished the advantage. A 6-4 victory sent him into the final, where he capped his standout weekend.

The final started superbly for Varila, who raced into a 2-0 lead. Dekker, however, battled back impressively and even turned it around to 3-2 after five legs. The Finn leveled at 3-3 and then found another gear. With three legs on the spin he wrapped up the match convincingly and could celebrate his first title.

A day earlier it was veteran Labanauskas’ turn. The Lithuanian claimed his first Nordic & Baltic title of the season, taking his tally to an impressive thirteen trophies on this circuit.

Labanauskas reached the quarterfinals after three wins and faced Haavisto there. The Finn moved 1-0 ahead, but the experienced Lithuanian then took full control. With a 6-3 victory he booked his place in the last four.

Labanauskas also left little behind in the semifinals. Against fellow Tour Card holder Tingström it finished 6-3 again. The final brought Toft Jørgensen, who put together a strong run himself with wins over, among others, Dekker, Teemu Harju, and Daniel Larsson.

The final proved far tighter than Labanauskas’ previous matches. Both players kept each other in check for a long time, forcing a deciding 11th leg. The Lithuanian held firm and added another title to his impressive résumé.

After six of the twelve PDCNB tournaments, Cor Dekker still leads with a total of 4,700 euros in prize money. Jani Haavisto sits second on 3,200 euros, followed by Daniel Larsson in third on 2,200 euros. The top two players qualify for the World Darts Championship. Because Dekker is virtually qualified for the World Darts Championship via the Pro Tour, his World Championship spot via the PDCNB ranking currently passes down to number three Larsson.