Nathan Aspinall suffered a surprise early exit at the Belgian Darts Open 2026 on Saturday afternoon, falling 6-3 to Ryan Joyce in a match where his doubles finishing proved costly. Despite solid scoring, Aspinall repeatedly failed to convert chances, allowing Joyce to capitalise and seal a convincing victory to book his place in the third round.
Earlier in the session, Danny Noppert delivered a standout performance with a 106.17 average in a 6-3 win over Luke Woodhouse. Noppert fired in three 11-darters, taking control from the third leg onwards, though Woodhouse responded with finishes of 92 and 81 to level at 3-3 before Noppert wrapped it up with a 68 checkout.
Other big names advanced, with Ross Smith defeating Cameron Menzies 6-4, Chris Dobey securing a comfortable 6-3 win over Dave Chisnall including a superb 98 checkout, Ryan Searle coming through a deciding-leg thriller against Ricky Evans, and Martin Schindler seeing off William O'Connor 6-3 for his first win of the year. Daryl Gurney impressed with a 6-3 victory over Damon Heta, concluding with a brilliant 116 checkout.
Meanwhile, Jermaine Wattimena progressed with a 6-3 win over Ryan Meikle in a scrappy encounter where both struggled on doubles, but Wattimena benefited from Meikle's greater difficulties, closing out the match in 15 and 13 darts. Aspinall's exit leaves the tournament wide open as the action continues.
