Daryl Gurney produced a stunning comeback to knock out reigning champion Michael van Gerwen on a dramatic opening night at the 2026 World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. The Northern Irishman raced into a 3-0 lead, including legs of 11 and 13 darts, before landing a sensational 170 checkout to leave the Dutch crowd stunned. Van Gerwen, a six-time champion, responded by reeling off five consecutive legs to move 5-3 ahead, but the drama was far from over. In a remarkable penultimate leg, Van Gerwen missed six match darts, allowing Gurney to level and then complete the turnaround, sending the reigning champion crashing out.
"That’s been a long time coming," said Gurney, who will now face Ross Smith in the last 16. "I cannot remember the last time I won a game like that on the big stage, so I’m very pleased with myself. I’ve been through some tough times over the last couple of months, so to get over the finish line against Michael, in Amsterdam – I’m very pleased with myself." Van Gerwen was one of three Dutch players to fall on home soil, but Gian van Veen ensured the Amsterdam crowd still had plenty to celebrate. The world number three produced a composed display to defeat Chris Dobey 6-2 and book his place in the last 16. "Chris and I were not playing at our best, but the crowd got me through that tonight," said Van Veen. "I want to thank them all for their support tonight and hopefully it will be the same on Saturday. There is always going to be pressure playing in front of your home crowd. As a Dutchman we don’t experience that often, so to do it here in Amsterdam is fantastic."
Luke Humphries also made a winning start to his campaign, overcoming home favourite Jermaine Wattimena 6-4 to set up an intriguing last-16 clash with Dirk van Duijvenbode. The reigning US Darts Masters champion produced a spectacular spell in the fifth leg, combining a 171 set-up with back-to-back 180s before completing a brilliant 132 checkout to break throw. Humphries eventually held his nerve to progress, despite Wattimena threatening a late comeback. "I really enjoyed that. It was a great atmosphere and the crowd were amazing," said Humphries. "We were both able to flow and it was a really good game until those missed darts at double, but I fell over the line at the end. Scoring wise it was a great performance. My doubles weren’t great but I feel that’s a common theme of my game at the moment. I just need to put both parts together to perform at that highest level that everyone knows I can."
Van Duijvenbode produced the comeback of the opening session, recovering from 4-1 down against Sweden’s Viktor Tingstrom by winning five consecutive legs to seal a 6-4 victory. The Dutchman also fired six maximums during an impressive turnaround. Josh Rock then edged arguably the match of the night against Stephen Bunting, overturning a 5-3 deficit to book a last-16 meeting with World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle. Bunting threatened to take control early on after producing a sublime 161 checkout, but Rock refused to buckle. The Northern Irishman hit a crucial three-leg burst in the closing stages and survived a match dart at bull in the penultimate leg before completing the comeback. Searle marked his World Series of Darts Finals debut in style, defeating Rob Cross 6-2 with an impressive 66 per cent checkout rate.
Elsewhere, Ross Smith produced one of the night’s most convincing performances, averaging almost 103 in a ruthless 6-3 victory over home favourite Kevin Doets. Karel Sedlacek also impressed in Amsterdam, averaging 99.37 to defeat New Zealand’s Ben Robb 6-4 in a high-quality contest. Robb hit every dart he threw at a double, but it was Sedlacek who progressed to the last 16. The World Series of Darts Finals continues on Friday evening as the opening round reaches its conclusion at AFAS Live. World Champion Luke Littler will finally enter the tournament against Danny Noppert, while former champions Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and James Wade will also begin their campaigns in Amsterdam. With a place in the last 16 at stake, another huge night of action awaits in the Dutch capital.
2026 World Series of Darts Finals
Thursday September 17
Round One x8
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Viktor Tingstrom
Ryan Searle 6-2 Rob Cross
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Ben Robb
Ross Smith 6-3 Kevin Doets
Josh Rock 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Luke Humphries 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Daryl Gurney 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
Gian van Veen 6-2 Chris Dobey
Friday September 18 (1900 CEST)
Round One x8
Adam Leek v Jim Long
Motomu Sakai v Callan Rydz
Wessel Nijman v Simon Whitlock
Nathan Aspinall v Raymond Smith
James Wade v Damon Heta
Gerwyn Price v Brody Klinge
Luke Littler v Danny Noppert
Jonny Clayton v Maik Kuivenhoven
