Dutch Open Darts | Big names crash out, but former winner Jarno Bottenberg, top seed Jenson Walker and Darren Webster advance to final day as women's final set
WDF
The singles tournament at the Dutch Open Darts 2026 exploded into full swing on Saturday in Assen. For many players, this was the most important day of the event. A total of no fewer than 4,521 participants stepped up to the oche across various categories.
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The highlight was the open singles, which saw 4,096 players start their bid on Saturday morning for a place on finals day. After a long and intense day of play, 128 darters remained and booked their spots for Sunday.
In the open event, many familiar names navigated the early rounds. Martijn Dragt, Ron Meulenkamp, Florian Hempel, and Jitse van der Wal advanced to the last 128 without major problems. Former Dutch Open Darts champion Jarno Bottenberg is also back in action on Sunday, as are Darren Webster and Corné Groeneveld.
Big names bow out
Saturday also delivered its share of surprises. Berry van Peer, the 2023 Dutch Open Darts winner, was knocked out by Pieter Collijn, who edged it 3-2. Jelle Klaasen, the 2022 champion, also made an early exit after losing to Koen den Hartog. Another former Lakeside winner, Andy Baetens, departed in an early stage of the tournament.
The women played through to the final. That title decider on Sunday will be between Priscilla Steenbergen and Rachna David. Steenbergen impressed on her route to the final, taking out, among others, Lerena Rietbergen (4-2), Irina Armstrong (4-3), and Adriana van Wijgerden-Vermaat (4-0). Rachna David also showed top form, proving too strong for Paula Jacklin (4-2), Paige Pauling (4-2), and Aileen de Graaf (4-3). The final promises to be a compelling clash between two players who have been consistent all tournament.
Prizes were also awarded in para darts on Saturday. In standing para darts, the title went to Kwanghee Cho, while Vincent D’hondt claimed the crown among the seated players. Both secured the Dutch Open Darts 2026 championship in their respective categories.
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Sunday is all about the finale. With 128 players still in the hunt, a highly anticipated women’s final, and titles on the line, the final day of the Dutch Open Darts 2026 promises a spectacular finish.
Open draw - Dutch Oepn Dar
Last 128
| Player 1 | v | Player 2 |
| Jenson Walker | v | Jasper Ruinemans |
| Jurgen Nuijten | v | Nigel van Millingen |
| Marcel Otter | v | Sven Groen |
| Ruud de Kock | v | Patrick van den Boogaard |
| Johann Brouwer | v | Mike van Leeuwen |
| Sander Schoot | v | Roy Bevelander |
| Mike van Duijvenbode | v | Tim Middelbos |
| Stan Willems | v | Danny Blom |
| Michael van Dijk | v | Jan Dirk de Groot |
| Patrick Dekker | v | Gino Vos |
| Nick van Huet | v | Michel Hoffer |
| Maikel Nüchter | v | Kristiaan de Boer |
| Shaen de Jong | v | Tonny Veenhof |
| Bas Smits | v | Niek Tuik |
| Michael Busscher | v | Mark Scholte |
| Martijn Dragt | v | Berry Pater |
| Paul Krohne | v | Erwin Vossen |
| Maarten Dirk Woord | v | Pascal Devroey |
| Jasper van Doorn | v | Joeri Huysmans |
| Martijn van Hal | v | Joost van den Berg |
| Niek Lemmens | v | Ron Meulenkamp |
| Florian Hempel | v | Jitse van der Wal |
| Jonny Nijs | v | Patrick Maat |
| Lee Wijck | v | Roemer Mooijman |
| Vinay Ramnath | v | Nick Crouwel |
| Heine Uuldriks | v | Robert de Roode |
| Marco Fonk | v | Robert van der Heijden |
| Bertram Waninge | v | Ricardo Ulrich |
| Shane Stoop | v | Nick Bouman |
| Winston van de Graaf | v | Simon Boiten |
| Stefan Post | v | Luke van der Kwast |
| Ian Rinia | v | Dylan van Dijk |
| Alex Mos | v | Jan Timmerman |
| Mitchell van den Heuvel | v | John Paine |
| Stef Kosters | v | Danny de Graaf |
| Marco de Kreij | v | Jarno Bottenberg |
| Gianni Praet | v | Darren Webster |
| Pepijn Groenewald | v | Danny Janssen |
| Marcel Bus | v | Milan van Diemen |
| William Leijten | v | Jean-Paul Nettenbreijer |
| Brian Raman | v | Justin Atellinghusen |
| Remon Artz | v | Sami Högström |
| Lorenzo te Hennepe | v | Stephan Berendsen |
| Gerrit Vermeer | v | Dennie de Jong |
| Richard Wagenaar | v | Brent Plaisier |
| Koen den Hartog | v | Roger van Putte |
| Leon Janssen | v | Gerko Tibbe |
| Antonio de Weerd | v | Jeroen Caron |
| Corné Groeneveld | v | Dieter van Ham |
| Killian Hohnstedt | v | Rowdy Schoremans |
| Rients Visser | v | Kenny Neyens |
| Jeffrey Keen | v | Moreno Blom |
| Patrick Geeraerts | v | Lesley Geertsma |
| Patrick van Santen | v | Danny Goddard |
| Mark Graham | v | Maurice de Graaf |
| Barry Zander | v | Danny Diller |
| Stefan Schröder | v | Gylian Surgeon |
| Stefano van Zeele | v | Gilbert van der Meijden |
| Lorenzo Verroen | v | Wannes van Heck |
| Nunjo Dewaele | v | Pascal Mengers |
| Lennert Faes | v | Bram Bauters |
| Rowan van Alebeek | v | Rick van der Helm |
| Pascal Wirotius | v | Jason Goossens |
| Reece Pauling | v | Luitsen Elzinga |
Women's Results - Dutch Open Darts
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Last 16
| Player 1 | Score | Player 2 |
| Lerena Rietbergen | 4-0 | Jo Rolls |
| Anca Zijlstra | 4-2 | Maud Jansson |
| Priscilla Steenbergen | 4-0 | Adriana van Wijgerden-Vermaat |
| Irina Armstrong | 4-2 | Yukie Sakaguchi |
| Lotte Suomi | 4-0 | Rianne Olthuis |
| Paula Jacklin | 4-2 | Emine Dursun |
| Rachna David | 4-3 | Aileen de Graaf |
| Paige Pauling | 4-0 | Nina Lech-Musialska |
Quarter-Finals
| Player 1 | Score | Player 2 |
| Lerena Rietbergen | 4-1 | Anca Zijlstra |
| Priscilla Steenbergen | 4-3 | Irina Armstrong |
| Paula Jacklin | 4-3 | Lotte Suomi |
| Rachna David | 4-2 | Paige Pauling |
Semi-Finals
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| Player 1 | Score | Player 2 |
| Priscilla Steenbergen | 4-2 | Lerena Rietbergen |
| Rachna David | 4-2 | Paula Jacklin |
Final
| Player 1 | Score | Player 2 |
| Priscilla Steenbergen | vs | Rachna David |
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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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- 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
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
