Preview Poland Darts Open Sunday afternoon: Van Veen-Aspinall, Littler-Ross Smith among top attractions in stacked line-up

At the Poland Darts Masters, sixteen players remain after two days of play, all chasing the title. The third-round matches are scheduled for Sunday afternoon, with plenty of top names on show.

The Poland Darts Open is the first tournament of the European Tour 2026. It is also the very first time a European Tour event is being staged in Poland. In Krakow, the entire world’s top three—Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gian van Veen—are in attendance.

Matches in the last sixteen are first to six legs. Below is a preview of the fixtures scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

The afternoon session in Krakow opens with none other than Luke Littler. The world number one was hugely impressive in the previous round, winning 6-1 against Mike De Decker with a staggering 113.84 average, while De Decker himself also averaged over a ton. Littler had been below par in recent weeks in the Premier League Darts while battling a bout of flu, but he seems intent on reminding everyone this weekend who the very best player in the world is.

For a place in the quarterfinals, the 19-year-old Englishman meets compatriot Ross Smith. “Smudger” swept past Daryl Gurney 6-1 in the previous round. Littler and Smith have faced each other seven times before, with Littler leading the head-to-head 6-1.

Welcome back, Cristo Reyes, to the European Tour. And how—after several years away, the Spaniard has impressed mightily over the past few days. Reyes beat Niko Springer 6-3 in the opening round and then ousted eighth seed Ryan Searle 6-2 in round two. Reyes narrowly missed a three-figure average and marks himself out as a dark horse for the title.

His third-round opponent—Josh Rock—will be fully on guard. “Rocky” also impressed in his opener at the Poland Darts Open. The 24-year-old Northern Irishman averaged over 102 in a 6-1 win against William O’Connor. This will be the first-ever meeting between Reyes and Rock.

Next up is an all-English tie with Luke Woodhouse taking on Chris Dobey. After a strong 2025, Woodhouse has climbed to 21st in the world rankings and is aiming even higher in the coming months. In the previous round, “Woody” was excellent, averaging just under 103 in a 6-4 win over Callan Rydz.

Chris Dobey, by contrast, didn’t need to find top gear to ease past a below-par Connor Scutt 6-0. Dobey has arrived in Poland brimming with confidence after winning a Players Championship earlier this week. Dobey and Woodhouse have met eight times before, with the head-to-head currently perfectly level.

Jonny Clayton, like Dobey, has come to the Poland Darts Open full of belief. “The Ferret” proved again last Thursday that, despite his 51 years, he’s far from finished. Clayton claimed the nightly win on Week 3 of the Premier League Darts and is keen to carry that strong form into this weekend. In his opener here, he beat the young Czech Adam Gawlas 6-4.

For a place in the quarterfinals, Clayton faces Michael Smith. The former world champion has been dealing with injuries of late, but stepped in this weekend as a replacement for the ill Michael van Gerwen. Smith seized the chance with both hands, edging Joe Cullen 6-5 in the previous round. Clayton and Smith have met countless times over the years, and if both hit their peak, this promises to be a mouthwatering clash.

Luke Humphries narrowly avoided elimination in the previous round but eventually edged out local favorite Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5. “Cool Hand Luke” was celebrating at the Players Championship earlier this week and is eager to add a title at the inaugural Poland Darts Masters to his résumé.

Humphries faces Boris Krcmar in the third round. The 46-year-old Croatian does not hold a PDC Tour Card but brings plenty of experience. In soft-tip he has been among the world’s elite for years, and in steel-tip he is certainly not to be underestimated either. Krcmar underlined that in the previous round by beating Germany’s Martin Schindler 6-4. Krcmar and Humphries have met six times before, with Humphries winning four of those matches.

Jermaine Wattimena is the first of three Dutchmen to feature in this afternoon session. “The Machine Gun” overcame compatriot Danny Noppert 6-5 in the previous round after a particularly high-quality clash. Wattimena, like his opponent, averaged over a ton, and in this form he is certainly one of the dark horses for the title.

In the third round, the 37-year-old Dutchman takes on Stephen Bunting. “The Bullet” defeated another Dutchman, Niels Zonneveld, in his opener. Bunting is craving another result after losing three straight quarterfinals in the Premier League Darts. Last year Bunting won two European Tour events. This is the seventeenth PDC meeting between Bunting and Wattimena, with Bunting leading the head-to-head 9-7.

In the penultimate match of the afternoon session, Gian van Veen faces Nathan Aspinall. Van Veen fully broke through last year with victory at the European Championship and even reached the World Darts Championship final at the start of this year, where only Luke Littler proved too strong. The 23-year-old from Poederoijen has since climbed to third in the world rankings and showed in recent weeks with two Premier League Darts finals that he remains in top form. Van Veen did escape an early exit this weekend but still won his opener 6-5 against Andrew Gilding.

Nathan Aspinall, on the other hand, is not involved in the Premier League Darts this season and can fully focus on other tournaments. That might make “The Asp” even more dangerous. In the previous round, Aspinall beat Darryl Pilgrim 6-3. Aspinall and Van Veen have faced each other six times before, with the head-to-head currently perfectly level.

The final last-16 tie pits Wessel Nijman against Cameron Menzies. Nijman has started the new season strongly with a title at the year’s second Players Championship. The 25-year-old Dutchman has become one of the best performers on the floor and now wants to translate that form into results on TV events. In the previous round, Nijman — aided by a 103-plus average — was a 6-2 winner over Gary Anderson.

For a place in the quarterfinals, Nijman meets Cameron Menzies. The 36-year-old Scot drew negative attention at the recent World Darts Championship by smashing his table after a first-round defeat to Charlie Manby. Ahead of this tournament, Menzies said he still has no feeling in certain parts of his fingers. It certainly did not stop him from beating James Wade 6-0 in the previous round. Nijman and Menzies have met twice before, with the head-to-head currently 1-1.