"Whenever I’m in the quarterfinals, it could be my day. Hopefully that’s tonight" - Gian van Veen eyes up maiden European Tour glory after thrashing Jonny Clayton

Gian van Veen produced a dominating display against Jonny Clayton in the German Darts Championship, advancing into the quarter-finals for the fifth time in 2025 with a 6-1 victory.

He sprinted into a 5-0 lead with Clayton failing to get his scoring power going. Van Veen had regularly found himself ahead in legs and was clinical in wrapping them up. The Ferret would take out 108 to avoid the whitewash before a sloppy last leg saw the Dutchman crawl across the finish line.

"Very happy. You know, I think everyone was expecting Johnny Clayton to be a little bit better there, and I was a bit flabbergasted that he wasn’t," van Veen said to Dartsnews.com after the match. "But, you know, to get four or five in a row — just a couple of good legs — and then you’re in. And that’s what I did. As you said, it stuttered a bit at the end, but luckily I got the job done."

He is looking to bounce back from a frustrating defeat in the semi-final of the Swiss Darts Trophy, losing 7-6 against eventual champion Stephen Bunting as he looks to claim his first title on the Euro Tour. "Very close. I think last time in Basel, I missed one match dart to beat Stephen Bunting in the semis, and maybe that could have been my weekend," he said. "But, you know, it wasn’t. We go again this weekend into the final session. There are some quality players left still, but of course, whenever I’m in the quarterfinals, it could be my day. Hopefully that’s tonight — we’ll see."

Danny Noppert will be van Veen's opponent in the quarter-final, with the pair knowing each other very well after the pair represented their country at the World Cup, losing to Wales in the semi-final stage. They both acted revenge on the players who defeated them in Frankfurt, with Noppert taking out Gerwyn Price in a last-leg decider.

"Yeah, for sure. I think Danny is one of my best friends on tour, so it’s going to be a special match tonight," van Veen said. "We always practise together — we did it today, we did it yesterday — and even though we’re playing each other tonight, we’ll probably practise together again, because that’s what we’re used to. We know each other’s game inside and out. So it’s going to be a good game tonight, and may the best man win."

Van Veen averaged 106.47 in his first-round tie against Luke Littler in Leicester but only managed to win two legs. This became the highest tournament average ever recorded int he World Grand Prix, but van Veen would be overshadowed by a superb Littler. However, this loss did not affect him when stepping back on stage.

"No, it’s pretty easy. As you said, I didn’t do much wrong. I think I’ve played twice now in the World Grand Prix — my double start has been good, my double finish has been good — but I didn’t get many chances. Luke played phenomenal in that game, so it was really easy to shake off. I did what I could, but it wasn’t enough on that day. So be it. Here we are next weekend, and hopefully it’s going to be enough today."

Van Veen sits 10th currently in the race to Dortmund having enjoyed a great season in Europe. "Yeah, pretty good — especially on the Euro Tour. There’ve been a couple of semifinals, another final, and hopefully a deep run today, plus a few quarterfinals," van Veen said. "So it’s been a good season. As you said, top ten on the Euro Tour this year, which is good enough. I’ve qualified for Dortmund and the European Championship, which was the goal. The title is still missing though — so hopefully that’s today."

Back in 2023, the Dutchman broke into the spotlight after achieving a semi-final run, defeating Michael van Gerwen on the way to being defeated by eventual runner-up James Wade. These special memories have made it a happy place for The Giant, who is looking for his maiden major title.

"It’s my first and only semifinal in a major. Beating Michael van Gerwen as a Dutchman is always special. To do it there made it even more so. Last year I lost out to the eventual champion, Richie Edhouse, in the first round, so hopefully it’s going to be a better year this time. But yeah, as you said, Dortmund is a special place to me — I’m looking forward to it."