Dutch darter Kevin Doets is heading into the UK Open with confidence, reflecting on what he calls his strongest start to a season and believing his first PDC title is within reach this year. According to Doets, while results may not yet fully show on the honors list, his performances prove he is on the right track. "This is definitely the best start to a year I've ever had," he told Viaplay. "Two quarter-finals so far. I'm throwing really well. The luck just hasn't quite been on my side yet. But if I keep playing like this, I'm confident I'll win my first title this year." He noted that results haven't fully translated into trophies due to opponents at crucial moments, citing an instance where he ran into a rampant Gerwyn Price at a Players Championship, throwing a 102 average in a quarter-final while Price threw 108 or 109, and another day where he averaged 109 but lost to Chris Dobey.
Doets' season began with a unique trip to Brazil, his first time outside Europe and on a flight longer than four hours. "It was pretty cool," he said, adding that he wants to go back and has plans to do so. The trip lasted only five days, as he tries to split time between darts and his family, including his son in Sweden. Although Dutch, Doets has lived in Sweden for six years, speaks fluent Swedish, and feels it is home, though he still identifies more as Dutch. He described the darts community in Sweden as smaller and tighter, with a close group of friends.
Due to his connection to Sweden, Doets has not ruled out representing the country at the World Cup of Darts in the future. "Of course I'd prefer to play for the Netherlands—that's the country where I was born and raised. But I also have to think financially. There's a lot of money involved in the World Cup. If I can't make it with the Netherlands but I have the chance to earn money through Sweden, then I have to take that opportunity," he explained, adding that playing offers valuable stage experience. On big stages, Doets often grows into matches, as seen in his World Championship clash with Nathan Aspinall, where he needs one or two confidence-boosting moments to become hard to stop, sometimes experiencing tunnel vision so intense he can't remember final moments.
