“There’s a good chance he’ll have to fight for his Tour Card” - Van der Voort fears the worst for Van den Bergh after disappointment at the World Darts Championship

In the latest episode of the Darts Draait Door podcast, Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort looked back in detail on another long World Championship day. It was once again a mixed day for the Dutch, and there was a Belgian setback too. Wesley Plaisier won his opening match, but Richard Veenstra unexpectedly lost to India’s Nitin Kumar. The result for Veenstra, in particular, caught the duo off guard.

“For someone of Veenstra’s calibre, that should simply be a win,” said Van der Voort post session at the PDC World Darts Championship. “But this is also who he is. He can hurt any top player, but these kinds of matches happen too. At a World Championship, this is a bitter defeat. Especially because he barely plays any TV tournaments otherwise. This is the moment.”

According to Van der Voort, the contrast with Wesley Plaisier was stark. He convincingly beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1. “What a difference,” said the Dutchman. “That energy, that conviction. He was really up there to win.”

While Plaisier was still searching last year, he now steps on stage with clear intent. “He’s learned,” concluded Van der Voort. “And that’s what you need. A good player learns from what he experiences.” In his view, that’s exactly what Veenstra sometimes lacks. “That survival instinct. That ‘I want to win, whatever happens.’ You saw that in everything Plaisier did.”

Dimitri Van den Bergh was also in action on Sunday, but his return to the big stage turned into a complete disaster. He lost 3-0 without a chance to Darren Beveridge and won only a single leg. “It was hard to watch,” said Van der Voort.

“I actually thought his throw wasn’t too bad, because the lie of his darts was fine. Last time he had completely lost it. You can see a player out there without confidence who doesn’t know where he stands. He just needs match practice and competition. If he starts the season again next year, he really has to play tournaments. Even if it’s local events or smaller things. So you learn to handle that pressure again, because you don’t get that feeling in practice.”

The Dutchman even fears the worst if Van den Bergh can’t turn this around. “If he goes another month and a half without tournaments now, his confidence won’t improve. There’s a good chance he’ll have to fight for his Tour Card. That’s pretty strange for someone who’s 23rd in the world. If he has another year like this, he’s out. How could it be otherwise? He’s earned almost nothing this year. He’s going to drop out of the top 32 and maybe even the top 40. Prize money is going up everywhere and if you don’t perform, the rest will pass you by. If you don’t do anything, you just drop down the rankings.”

It remains a difficult World Championship for the Belgians. In addition to Van den Bergh, both Kim Huybrechts and Mario Vandenbogaerde also lost their opening ties. That leaves only two Belgian players still in the field: Mike De Decker and Andy Baetens. “They haven’t had a pleasant tournament so far,” said Van der Voort, referring to the Belgians.

“There are still two in. Andy Baetens plays against Dirk (Van Duijvenbode, ed.), so he’s definitely not the favorite there. Mike De Decker (against David Munyua, ed.) will probably go through; he’s a heavy favorite and obliged by his ranking to win his match. But let’s not talk too soon, because I do think Baetens is a good player.”

Finally, Vlottes and Van der Voort also looked ahead to the favorable routes for Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen at this World Championship. Their seeded opponents, Richie Edhouse and Dimitri Van den Bergh, went out early, making the path to the last 16 suddenly look much brighter. “That’s just nice,” Van der Voort noted. “You know you shouldn’t underestimate them, but it’s always good when the seeded player in your section is out.”

There could be even more for Noppert. With a possible path past players like Jurjen van der Velde, Nick Kenny or Justin Hood and then Jonny Tata, Ryan Meikle or Jesús Salate, a place in the last 16 is within reach. “If he makes the last 16, then suddenly he’s very close to that Premier League,” concluded Van der Voort. “World number five, last 16 at the Worlds… then it just looks good.” He did, however, warn the Dutchman straight away. “If you look too far ahead, that’s when you go out. You really have to think one match at a time.”