Success for PDC Tour Card holders at the Dutch Open Darts: Jimmy van Schie beats Wesley Plaisier to win the warm-up tournament

At De Bonte Wever in Assen, the Dutch Open Darts kicked off yesterday, the largest tournament in the world with a record 8,500 entries this year. The warm-up tournament immediately brought success for some of the notable PDC Tour Card holders competing.

The open warm-up tournament of the Dutch Open Darts drew a record of over twelve hundred participants on Thursday and produced two thoroughly deserved winners in Jimmy van Schie and Emine Dursun. Both the men’s and women’s events were played at a high level, with dominant displays by the eventual champions.

In the men’s event, newly crowned Lakeside champion Jimmy van Schie underlined his top form once again. The Dutch thrower proved hard to stop throughout the tournament and ultimately took the title after a strong final against compatriot Wesley Plaisier. In an attractive decider, Van Schie edged it 5-3.

Van Schie’s road to the final was impressive. In the last 16 he took care of former Lakeside winner Andy Baetens, winning 4-2. Van Schie then didn’t drop a single leg in the quarterfinals against Tom van den Hoogen (4-0). The 32-year-old Dutchman was also dominant in the semifinal: Danny van Klompenburg was brushed aside 4-0 as well, sending Van Schie to the final without losing a leg.

In the final he met Wesley Plaisier, who has been on a strong rise in recent months and sprang surprises at the recent PDC World Darts Championship. Plaisier had taken a tough route to the showpiece. He first beat Micha Boekelaar after a thrilling match, 4-3, and then overpowered Patrick Maat 4-1. In the semifinal, Plaisier had to go all the way against Wesley van Trijp, who was only beaten in a deciding leg (4-3). In the final, however, Van Schie proved just a step too far.

The women’s tournament also produced a commanding winner. Turkey’s Emine Dursun, number seventeen on the WDF world ranking, fully lived up to her billing. In the final she defeated Dutch player Anca Zijlstra by a clear margin: 4-0. Dursun was extremely consistent throughout and lost just one leg in total from the last 16 onwards.

In that phase, Dursun started with a 3-0 victory over Adriana van Wijgerden-Vermaat. The quarterfinals brought another whitewash against Annegret Willkomm (3-0). Only in the semifinal did Sharona Veld manage to nick a leg against the Turk, but Dursun still ran out an emphatic 3-1 winner.

Finalist Anca Zijlstra also enjoyed a strong tournament herself. She reached the final after wins over Tineke Kalsbeek (3-1) and Melissa Landkroon (3-1). In the semifinal, Zijlstra came through a tight contest against Sharon Straatsma, who was only beaten in a deciding leg (3-2).