Dutch darts star Gian van Veen has seized a brief respite in the Spanish sun following his early elimination at the UK Open. The 23-year-old, who exited the tournament in the fourth round with a 10-7 loss to Rob Cross, jetted off to Costa Adeje in Tenerife with his girlfriend Kyana Frauenfelder. On social media, Van Veen shared a photo captioned: "A few lovely days after the UK Open," embracing the unexpected downtime.
This short break arrives during the busiest stretch of Van Veen's career, which has seen a meteoric rise. In 2025, he clinched his first major TV title by winning the European Championship, and early in 2026, he reached the World Darts Championship final, where he fell to Luke Littler. That run earned him 450,000 euros and propelled him to third in the world rankings, cementing his status among the elite.
Van Veen's success has brought new commitments, including a Premier League Darts debut and World Series invitations, leading to a packed schedule. He recently discussed this on the podcast Darts Draait Door, noting: "The schedule keeps getting busier. But the nice thing is that you can also treat yourself from time to time." He emphasized the importance of such getaways for mental freshness, adding: "You're in a different city almost every week and constantly under pressure. Then it's great to get away from it all for a bit and just relax."
The rest will be short-lived, however. Van Veen is set to return to the UK on Wednesday for night six of the Premier League Darts at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. There, he faces a tough quarterfinal opponent in world number two Luke Humphries, marking a swift return to the competitive grind.
