“You can’t afford that against someone like Rob Cross” – Inconsistency costs Gian van Veen the match against former world champion

Gian van Veen was eliminated on Friday evening in the fourth round of the UK Open. The Dutchman lost 10-7 to former world champion Rob Cross in Minehead, in a match of high quality where the key moments just fell the Englishman’s way.

Van Veen averaged over 100 and hit a solid percentage on the doubles, but had to admit that his opponent was just that bit sharper at the crucial moments.

"He was very good today. He was simply the better player, and I could feel that as well. But I kept hanging in there every time, with a few good finishes to stay close. Then at one point you miss that one dart at 80 in the last few legs, and he punishes it."

For Van Veen the tournament started immediately with a tough opponent. When he saw the draw, he knew it wouldn’t be an easy evening. “When I saw the draw I thought, 'Okay, this will be tough.' But it’s also nice, because if you win that match you’re immediately in a good position in the tournament. But yes… if you win it."

During the contest it was clear that Van Veen wasn’t fully satisfied with his own game. Although the stats suggested otherwise, it didn’t feel consistent enough to him.

“It didn’t feel great. At times it was a bit up and down. A few legs with lots of triples, and then another leg with nine darts without a single triple. That annoyed me a bit."

According to the world number three, you can’t afford dips against a player of Cross’s caliber. “You can’t afford that against someone like Rob Cross, and that showed today."

The statistics underline how tight the match was. Van Veen posted an average of over 101, hit multiple maximums, and recorded a decent percentage on the doubles. Yet it didn’t yield a win.

“In another match that might have been enough. Today it wasn’t. One more 140 from him. It’s nice that you throw a 101 average… but it doesn’t help you."