"Pride prevails, although that missed matchdart still annoys me" - Gian van Veen after his first final on the European Tour

Gian van Veen starts today's 22nd Players Championship of the year full of confidence. The 22-year-old Dutchman reached the final of the Hungarian Darts Trophy just two days ago, which he lost 8-7 to Michael van Gerwen.

Van Veen does not have much time to enjoy his first final on a European Tour tournament. After all, a day after his final place in Budapest, he immediately traveled on to Leicester, where Players Championships 22 and 23 are being held this week. "I had a good trip, I did have an hour delay but otherwise everything went well," Van Veen told TOTO Dart Kings. "I had aviation training and always enjoy myself at airports, I like to spot planes."

Van Veen is still recovering from his first final on the European Tour. "As a little boy, of course you dream of playing a final like this one day. I had lost in the quarterfinals a few times before, so this was a big step for me, finally past those quarterfinals once. In the final I had a chance, but even though I lost, it was a great experience. Despite my defeat in the final, the positive feeling definitely weighs the most."

"I felt good all weekend. In my first three matches I threw a 100+ average each time. In the semifinals and finals I didn't manage that, but I think that was because of the relief that I had gotten this far."

Van Veen missed a matchdart at 7-6. "I still regret that," he said. "That arrow to the bull just hit the iron. Maybe I would have preferred not to have had a matchdart or to have missed that matchdart, but now it gnaws at me somewhere. There was more in it, but I don't want to dwell too long on this defeat, pride prevails. Michael also showed his class with that 110 finish, which only the real top players can do. There he proved again what a great player he is."

"I didn't see Michael after that by the way, I went on to England with Danny Noppert. I do look forward to getting back into action soon. Stage matches are obviously the most fun, but a couple of floor tournaments in between I also like."

Van Veen is already certain of qualifying for the remaining majors this year. "That indeed provides peace of mind," he says. "It's important that I don't have to worry about that anymore. "Last year I had to play in Hungary for qualification for the World Grand Prix. I then played too cramped because I was too preoccupied with it and ended up narrowly missing qualification. So thankfully that is different now."

Van Veen currently ranks 26th in the virtual world rankings after the World Championship. "The top 24 after the World Cup is definitely a realistic goal. But my main goal this year is to survive at least the first round at every major."