Gian van Veen is back in the winning enclosure on the European Tour after a commanding 6-3 win over Connor Scutt at the International Darts Open. The Dutchman came flying out of the blocks with an incredible 141 checkout to start proceedings with a bang. Scutt kept within touching distance early on, taking out 90 on the bull to make it 2-2 and continue the holds. Van Veen then showed his quality with a hugely eye-catching 130 outshot, using the bull at the end, which sparked a three-leg spurt that saw him sprint over the finishing line. He took out 72 in two darts on double six to complete a fine victory.
Van Veen, the number one seed, has had this tag next to him in three events this year, all of which he lost in the second round. Since reaching the final of the Poland Darts Open, he has managed just one win at the Belgian Darts Open, the third European Tour event of 2026. Reflecting on recent struggles, he said: “I think everyone who’s watched me over the last couple of weeks knows it’s been tough. I’m grinding out the wins, and that’s what I did today.” He has been struggling with kidney stones, losing strength and momentum which halted his Premier League Darts charge.
Van Veen pinned 67% of his targets in the match. “I feel like it’s getting there. It’s been tough, but I feel like I’m getting better every week,” he acknowledged. “I felt really comfortable today. Hopefully that carries on tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will be my day.” When asked if he was 100%, he said: “It’s difficult to say. I feel comfortable, I feel ready, 100%. But when I look at my game, maybe it’s not even 100% yet, so it’s difficult to say. Today I felt good, and over the last couple of weeks I’ve been feeling really good as well. But yeah, I feel like I’m back physically at 100%, even if my averages and performances don’t show it yet. But it’ll come.”
Next up for van Veen is a last-16 showdown against fellow Dutchman Kevin Doets, the first time they meet on a big stage. Doets reached the final of the Austrian Darts Open the week he collected a maiden PDC ranking title on the floor, and came through a last-leg decider against Luke Woodhouse in the semi-finals. Van Veen praised Doets: “If you look at Dutch darts right now, Kevin is one of the top two — maybe even the number one Dutch player at the moment. That’s what he’s shown over the last couple of months.” He added: “Hopefully tomorrow will be different. Hopefully he’ll let me into the game a bit. But if I turn up tomorrow, I think I’ve got a really good chance because Kevin and I know each other really well. Hopefully it’s going to be a great game.”
