Schedule Friday afternoon at Baltic Sea Darts Open including Menzies, Van Veen, Huybrechts v White
PDC
The northern German city of Kiel will host the ninth Euro Tour tournament of the season from July 11 to 13 as the Baltic Sea Darts Open begins.
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The Baltic Sea Darts Open is the last chance for the top players to get in shape for the World Matchplay, which begins a week later. However, not all the top players are present. Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Ryan Joyce and Andrew Gilding have chosen to skip the tournament. Michael Smith is also not in attendance. 'Bullyboy' failed to qualify for the World Matchplay for the first time in thirteen years.
Rob Cross starts the tournament as the defending champion, after winning 8-6 over Luke Humphries in last year's final. The first matches from the opening round are scheduled for Friday afternoon, read a preview below.
Mickey Mansell v Miroslaw Grudziecki
The afternoon session at the Wunderino Arena will be kicked off by Mickey Mansell and Miroslaw Grudziecki. Mansell, the current No. 43 in the world, has been around for a long time in the PDC. The 51-year-old Northern Irishman is known for his slow game, which many a player struggles with. Against Grudziecki, for whom it is his debut on a European Tour tournament, Mansell starts as high favorite. The winner will face first-seeded Luke Humphries in the second round.
Luke Woodhouse v Liam Maendl-Lawrance
Speaking of a slow player, German Liam Maendl-Lawrance also fits the bill. Maendl-Lawrance had previously been active in several European Tour tournaments, yet starts as the clear underdog in his duel with Luke Woodhouse. 'Woody' is having a pretty good season, has established himself in the top 32 of the world rankings and is also qualified for the upcoming World Matchplay. James Wade awaits the winner of this duel in the second round.
Cameron Menzies v Yorick Hofkens
Next it is the turn of Cameron Menzies and Yorick Hofkens. Menzies already won a Players Championship this year and is leaning closer and closer to the top 32 in the world rankings. The 18-year-old Hofkens will make his debut on a European Tour tournament this weekend. That he has talent is obvious, as he won the WDF Europe Cup in 2023 in the youth category. The winner will face Ryan Searle in the second round;
Gian van Veen v Johan Engstrom
Gian van Veen we hardly need to introduce these days. The 23-year-old Dutchman won his first PDC ranking title this year thanks to a final victory at the sixth Players Champioship of the year. Van Veen, who earlier this year also reached the quarter-finals of the UK Open and has climbed to 22nd place in the world rankings, should in principle have little problem with Johan Engstrom. Although the Swede is an experienced player who has played regularly on the European Tour, he should be no match for Van Veen. Jonny Clayton awaits the winner of this duel in the second round.
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Jermaine Wattimena v Callan Rydz
Jermaine Wattimena will take on Callan Rydz in the opening round. Wattimena is having a stable year and confirms the good of last year, when he reached the final at the European Championship. With Rydz, however, he did not hit it off in the opening round. The 27-year-old Englishman has been known for years as a great talent, although he has been struggling to get some regularity in his performances. Rydz reached the quarterfinals of the World Darts Championship earlier this year and many followers expected him to follow up on that strong performance. That has not happened this year, although he is a player who should never be underestimated. The winner of this match will meet Martin Schindler in the second round;
Richard Veenstra v Krzysztof Ratajski
Krzysztof Ratajski meets Richard Veenstra in the opening round. A favorite for this duel seems difficult, both men are not particularly far apart in the world rankings. Perhaps Ratajski starts this match as a slight favorite, especially considering his strong performance at the Poland Darts Masters last week. Both men are vying for a spot in the second round against Gary Anderson.
Wessel Nijman v Martin Kramer
Wessel Nijman reached the semi-finals each of the last two tournaments on the European Tour and will be keen to do even better this weekend. For 56-year-old Martin Kramer, it will be his debut on the European Tour. Damon Heta awaits the winner of this duel in the next round.
Kim Huybrechts v Ian White
The afternoon session will conclude with the duel between Kim Huybrechts and Ian White. Huybrechts could only appear in extremis for this tournament after the cancellation of several players. For the 39-year-old Belgian this is an excellent opportunity to give his disappointing year some extra color. Huybrechts has to pass White in the first instance. The experienced Englishman has won three European Tour tournaments in the past, but his best years are already behind him. This could be an exciting match. The winner meets Ross Smith in the next round;
Schedule Baltic Sea Darts Open 2025
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Friday, July 11
First round
Afternoon session (from 12 p.m.)
Mickey Mansell v Miroslaw Grudziecki
Luke Woodhouse v Liam Maendl-Lawrance
Cameron Menzies v Yorick Hofkens
Gian van Veen v Johan Engstrom
Jermaine Wattimena v Callan Rydz
Richard Veenstra v Krzysztof Ratajski
Wessel Nijman v Martin Kramer
Kim Huybrechts v Ian White
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026