Gian van Veen has successfully defended his DartPraat Open title, winning the tournament's second edition on Friday evening at the Oranjebar in Mariahout. The Dutch PDC professional overcame Niels Zonneveld in the final, repeating their 2024 showdown, with a 5-3 victory to secure his second consecutive overall win. Van Veen averaged 102.00 in the decider, while Zonneveld posted 95.51.
The event, linked to the DartPraat podcast, moved from its original venue in Oirschot to Mariahout this year, drawing high interest despite the new setting. A total of 130 players from the Netherlands and Belgium competed, starting with a group phase at 8:00 PM across 33 groups, mostly of four players each, in a 501 format best of five legs. The top two from each group advanced to the knockout phase, which began around 11:30 PM after the group stage concluded.
Several notable names fell early in the tournament. Jimmy van Schie, Jelle Klaasen, and Alexander Merkx were eliminated in the last 64, while Benito van de Pas exited in the next round, knocked out by Jermaine Wattimena, who removed one of the favorites. Van Veen and Zonneveld, who had already met in the group phase, emerged as the finalists from the winners' bracket, setting up their decisive clash.
