Gian van Veen produced a historic nine-dart finish in the final of the Poland Darts Open, but it came at a painful cost as he lost the title decider to Luke Littler. The young Dutchman threw his first ever nine-darter on a TV stage during the PDC European Tour event, hitting two perfect 180s and a 141 checkout via treble 20, treble 19, and double 12 to send the Polish crowd into raptures. Despite the magical moment, Van Veen was left to rue what might have been after falling short of his first European Tour title.
"I wish I missed that double 12!" Van Veen joked afterwards, revealing the mixed emotions surrounding his perfect leg. "Of course I'm very happy to hit the nine-darter, but I think everyone noticed in the next two or three legs, I wasn't good." The Dutchman admitted the release after his achievement was bigger than expected, analyzing frankly: "I was so excited about the nine-darter - my first one on the stage, and that probably cost me the final today."
Opponent Luke Littler, the current world number one, responded emphatically to Van Veen's perfection. "Fair play to Luke. As he said, that spurred him on. That's how he reads the game, and that's why he is world number one," Van Veen acknowledged with respect. The defeat marked another frustrating final loss for the talented thrower, who has reached several title deciders recently without making the winning step. "Obviously I'm gutted with the result. I'm getting a bit tired of losing finals now, but it's part of the game and I'm happy to make another final. It's been a great weekend," he said.
Despite the disappointment, Van Veen took pride in a superb tournament where he beat multiple top names and showed he belongs at the highest level. The European Tour 2026 continues on the weekend of 13/3/2026, 14/3/2026, and 15/03/2026 with the European Darts Trophy in Göttingen.
