Dimitri Van den Bergh has been an established name at the top of the darts world for many years. Now his ten years younger brother Xanti seems to be following in his footsteps. In the middle of last month he won the prestigious Swedish Open, a tournament of the World Darts Federation (WDF).
Xanti Van den Bergh defeated Tonni Sörensen 6-4 in the final of the Swedish Open and received a winner's check of about 1,800 euros. "It had to sink in," Van den Bergh told GVA. "I realize it by now. Our dad once won Open France and immediately said, 'Now you've won as many WDF tournaments as I have' (laughs). I've also had a lot of messages, including from Dimitri of course and also Damon Heta. I didn't really see this coming. I did feel after the Belgian tournaments that I could be capable of this kind of thing, but that it would come so soon ... no. It just seemed like it was my day. I kept surviving."
"I had a really tough draw," Van den Bergh continued. "They certainly can't say I didn't deserve it. In the first round I met a Dane who played games. In the fourth leg he was on double 9, but the writer had written down that he had 32 left. I missed arrows for 3-1, after which that Bak threw double 16 anyway even though he knew it was wrong. Oh well, I beat him after that anyway. After that it was not easy with a couple of series heads and then that Blom. But I knew that opponent in the final neither by heart nor by heart. That is not always an advantage. I thought: 'You don't know him, so win the final, huh'. And that worked out."
During the Swedish Open, big brother Dimitri was active at the World Series of Darts in Oceania. "Right before I went to sleep, Dimitri sent another message," says Xanti. "He sent that he thought it was really crazy that I had just won that tournament. It's always cool when Dimitri sends something like that. Do I feel any extra pressure by being 'the brother of'? No, not really. I'm plotting my own career and I'm doing pretty well with that, I think."
In addition to his brother's support, Xanti is also getting support from another top Belgian darts player. "Brian Raman (former Tour Card holder) really takes care of everything for me. He takes me everywhere on the WDF. Because he also has to play himself, but equally because he sees a lot of potential in me. We have daily contact and also train together. Because of him I was able to stay active on the Development Tour, where I am almost certain of a spot on the Youth World Cup in October. Dimitri is my big brother, but he is constantly abroad for his job. So Brian is my mentor. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today. When I came off the stage, I hugged him and said, "Friend, I owe this mostly to you. He didn't want to accept the compliment right away, but it's the truth."
"Without Brian, I wouldn't have even gone to Sweden," Xanti says. "Like in two weeks to Italy. I didn't have those tournaments on my calendar, but he was like, 'Come on, go with me.' Am I glad I did. Brian has since become a kind of manager for me. He also pays everything that is needed and he lets me gain experience, so that one day I can have a shot at pro status. Now I'm especially looking forward to the qualifiers for the Flanders Darts Trophy in Antwerp that take place this week."
VICTORY FOR VAN DEN BERGH! Cheered on by his compatriots Brian Raman and Sybren Gijbels, Xanti van den Bergh wins the 2024 Men's Swedish Open. Van Den Bergh took an early 2-0 lead and stayed in front throughout, pinning double four to win his first WDF title.
